The Time Between
by Tally
Summary: FINISHED. Please R&R. SLASH. TPM. QO. A world surrounded by darkness waits for their chosen one.
1. Prologue - The Time Before

By Tally (tally_s_sin@hotmail.com)   
  
Rating: R  
  
Category: AU, Angst, H/C   
  
Warnings:Other than the fact the romance is between to blokes this is very fairy tale like. True love, honour, saving the world etc.   
  
Summery: A world surrounded by darkness waits for their chosen one.   
  
Disclaimer: Not mine. George Lucus owns them (lucky him) I make no money from them   
  
Feedback: I have finished this story and there is a sequel planned so if you like it I'll post some more.  
  
Thanks to: Mady and Boots for beta reading and Dane Dream Wyeth for all her help   
  
Notes: I have messed about with character ages in this fic to make it work properly.   
  
  
Prologue- THE TIME BEFORE  
  
She brought her hands together as if in prayer. Bowing her head, closing her eyes against the pain that lay within her soul. Silver, white hair that told of her Jedi heritage cascaded over her shoulders giving her a halo of shimmering light. Her hands opened to form a cup revealing a small sphere of sparkling gold. She gently blew on it, her tender breath lifting it effortlessly up into the air and high above her head. The dark shadows of the forest were banished by its beauty. Without lifting her head she spoke, her voice gaining a power that did not break the spell but wove it into the fabric of the world more tightly.  
  
"This is my legacy and my prophecy. I will not be the last. I give a part of my soul to make another, one strong enough to finish my fight. They will come fifteen years after my death, when almost all hope has gone. In your darkest hour the brightest light will be seen, leading you towards eternal peace and light." The ball of magic rose higher and higher until it disappeared into the mist.   
  
She looked about her. These were her final moments, but she was ready. She had died fighting but alas, even she was not strong enough to fend of the poison off darkness. She looked once more to those gathered around her. Her family, her friends, her subjects.  
  
"I can finally rest, my body is tired from the fight, but my soul is strong. I will return, at least in part. The soul is a majestic thing so never doubt the power of mine." She laid her head down, closed her eyes and drifted away. An old man looked to those around him who had gathered at their Queen's bedside. He spoke,   
  
"The last is dead and all hope with her." A young man wearing a hooded dark robe with the crescent of the Jedi brotherhood stepped forward, out from the shadows.  
  
"Not the last, not all hope."  
  
"You believe her prophecy?" It wasn't really a question but a plea. The younger man spoke with the confidence that only a force user possessed.  
  
"I believe in her soul. We will be set free of the darkness."   
  
____________________________________________________________________  
  
Many hundreds of years ago a planet with seas of blue and lush green continents shone in the cold darkness of space with light and magic. Its people were peace loving led by the Jedi Sisters and counselled by the Jedi brotherhood. The Jedi held the power of the force within them. The Sisters also held magic, giving them the power they needed to lead their people and maintain peace but a great evil had descended on this beautiful planet. Snatching the peace, stealing the magic and suffocating its soul. The Sisters were poisoned by The Darkness. After five hundred years of fear, hate, suspicion and war the last of the Jedi women had died leaving a planet in darkness with only a few remaining Jedi Brothers to lead them.  
  
Qui-Gon had not been born when the Darkness had first closed its grip on his world, but he remembered it.  
All Jedi men did.   
Memories passed on through the force down the bloodline through the generations. Father to son.  
It was their gift.  
It was their curse.  
As the Jedi sisters had held the magic of this lost world causing them to be the ones to lead the people into battle when the Darkness had first appeared, the Jedi Brothers held its soul and its history. They were not warriors, their gift allowed them to give counsel and teach the young, they were not prepared to lead the armies into war. Their number too was declining, only a few full Jedi remained. Jedi with two Jedi parents and full Jedi powers were becoming more and more scarce. Qui-Gon knew that the Brotherhood would soon follow the fate of the sisters.  
  
Qui-Gon looked down at his son cradled in his arms. He had lost his Queen that night but with her he had lost his wife and mother of his child. He feared for his son, and for himself. He didn't know how he was going to protect his son from the darkness which lurked everywhere. A single tear fell from his eye and rolled down his cheek unhindered. He looked up into the heavens where tiny pinpricks of light shone in the expanse of space.  
  
"I know you can hear me my Queen, my beloved, my soul mate. At least I pray you do." Qui-Gon took a moment to gather his thoughts. "What should I do now that you are no longer with me?" He felt a tingle at the back of his mind where a bond once lay, full of life, but now lay dormant and through it he heard a whisper on the wind.  
  
"I am still here my love, watching over you and our son. Don't give up on him. Hold him up to the light."  
  
"But the light has gone." He closed his eyes willing the flood of pain and memories back.  
  
"Then find it my heart. Fight for it as I have spent my life doing, like so many before me. You have the strength. Be the first of your kind to be a warrior."  
  
"But I don't have the power."  
  
"Then take it from me. As I gave the power of my soul to my prophecy I give you the power and knowledge of my mind. Use it well. Goodbye my brother."  
  
"Goodbye my Queen" Loneliness once again swept around him but now he had something to protect his son from it, he now had a purpose. He could feel the power of her being flow through his blood, the skill to be a warrior was now his, and perhaps it always had been. Now the fire in his heart burned brightly.  
  
"One day I will join you my Queen, but first I have your battle to fight. To hold out until the one whose coming you foretold. I will use the weapon you have chosen to bestow on me. Thank you." He wrapped his robe tighter around him and his son and disappeared into the night. 


	2. Chapter 1 - The Force Will Have Its Way

Chapter1- THE FORCE WILL HAVE ITS WAY  
  
Fourteen years later  
  
Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn walked through the deep shrub of the Border Forest, his Lightsaber knocking against his hip with every step he took. The Jedi was a tall, powerfully built middle aged man. He had seen much in his lifetime, the age of his experiences showing clearly in his crystal blue eyes. His grey hair spilled over his shoulders and down to his waist, wisps falling into his eyes, blown there by the gentle, evening wind. He wore a heavy Jedi robe and thick tunics but they did nothing to hide his muscular form or the various weapons that he carried. The only Jedi Brother to do so, marking him as the legendary Jinn.   
  
Qui-Gon was tired and hungry. He desperately needed somewhere to rest and perhaps somewhere warm and safe to spend the night. His footsteps carried him on, deeper into the forest that sung with life and spoke deep into his soul. He cast his gaze about, looking for some kind of shelter. He would have stopped where he stood if not for the gentle, persistent nudges from the Force. He was about ready to give up when he saw a thin wisp of smoke rising into the sky. He followed the smoke trail down and saw a chimney popping up from beneath the smaller trees. Just ahead lay a small cabin, nestled within a clearing. A sigh of relief escaped the Jedi Master's lips at the sight.  
  
/Thank the Force/ he thought and walked towards the little dwelling. As he grew close he could see a figure working in the cabin's little garden. Qui-Gon studied the young, fit body from a distance. The man was shorter than the Jedi but he was muscular, he had hair the colour of chestnuts that was set aflame with gold when the light touched it. There was something else about him, something that drew Qui-Gon to him.  
  
/Like a moth to a flame./ Qui-Gon mused.  
  
He approached slowly, not wishing to startle the younger man. When he was a ten yards away the youth looked up, straight at Qui-Gon. The Jedi Master looked deep into misty green eyes that seemed far to knowing for the boyish, young face. Qui-Gon forcing a smile to his lips, which he found easier than he expected, he stepped into the clearing. The other man stood perfectly still as Qui-Gon drew closer to him.  
  
"Greetings. I have been travelling a long time and was wondering if I may rest here awhile." Qui-Gon wasn't sure if the boy would answer, when finally the smooth face broke out in to a generous smile.  
  
"Of course, my Lord." He bent low in a deep bow of respect. "Would you like some refreshments?"   
  
The Jedi warrior stepped closer to the other man, feeling more relaxed by the courtesy extended to him. He was led to the porch where he was offered a seat facing outwards onto the forest. He was left alone for the briefest of moments as his host went inside to gather food. He returned with a tray of fruits and bread.  
  
"How rude of me, I didn't identify myself. I'm..." He was cut off.  
  
"Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn." The look of surprise must have showed on his face for the boy went on to explain. "You wear the robes of a Jedi but you also carry weaponry. There is only one warrior Jedi, my Lord." Qui-Gon smiled and was treated to a shy smile in return.  
  
"You have me at a disadvantage, what is your name?"  
  
"Ben."  
  
They sat quietly for awhile, enjoying the presence of the other without realising why. A quiet contentment swept over Qui-Gon, something he had not felt for fifteen years. He felt safe. He smiled to himself.  
  
"So, My Lord Jedi, what brings you to the Border Forest?" Ben gazed at Qui-Gon through thick eyelashes, his green eyes flashing with lust.  
  
"I am on my way to meet the Jedi council before they move south for the winter."  
  
"Have you been travelling long?"  
  
"Yes, weeks." Ben put his hand on Qui-Gon's knee in mute sympathy.  
  
"You must be exhausted, is your journey nearly at an end?" The Jedi Master hadn't missed Ben's subtle body language. The casual touch, the searching looks, the way he leaned slightly towards him when he spoke.  
  
"I hope so, Ben. I hope so." He was about to cover Ben's hand with his own when the younger man sat back, withdrawing his touch.  
  
"I'm glad." Qui-Gon tried not to think of the lingering warmth left be Ben's hand or his gentle touch.  
  
/I must be getting old, I'm starting to miss the small comforts in life/ As that thought occurred to him a familiar presence swept across his shields, bumping them slightly. Qui-Gon sat very stiffly, waiting for a reoccurrence of the phenomenon, but none came to confirm the presence he felt.  
  
"Are you alright?"   
  
Qui-Gon turned to his companion who was staring at him intently. He looked down at his own hands and realised they were shaking. Hastily he tucked them into his robes.  
  
/Answer him, you foolish old man, before you scare him any more./  
  
"Yes, I'm fine. Just a little tired."  
  
"Oh... Then please come in, there is a spare bed if you wish to spend the night here."  
  
Qui-Gon had the sudden desire to stay as long as possible with this man, his bright smile, his cultured voice and his obvious intelligence.  
  
"That would be wonderful, lead the way."  
  
Ben led the Jedi warrior into his home to the spare bedroom at the back of the cabin. The tiny room had a small bed on one side facing a window with a view of the Border Forest. Ben kept shooting glances at the Jedi. He hadn't expected that kind of reaction from his probe; maybe it had been a coincidence.  
  
/You don't believe in coincidences./ He reminded himself, but when Qui-Gon had turned a deathly shade of white he knew it was because of him, all he needed to know now was why. Qui-Gon's voice broke Ben from his thoughts.  
  
"It's very kind of you to let a stranger into your house, especially when you live so close to the dark border. I could have been anyone."  
  
"If you can't trust a Jedi, who can you trust?" Humour seemed to dance behind Ben's eyes as he looked at the Jedi.  
  
"I could have been a dark Jedi." Qui-Gon reasoned solemnly  
  
"No you're not."  
  
"And how can you tell?" Qui-Gon was surprised by the answer.  
  
"The same way you know I am not an agent of the dark. Sometimes you just know." Looking at the Jedi for a moment Ben spoke again. "If you give me your robes I would be happy to wash them for you."  
  
Qui-Gon thought for a moment deciding to take the young man up on his offer. Clean tunics and a goodnight's rest would refresh him before continuing his journey. The Jedi Master nodded his thanks and began to undress.  
  
First he took off his heavy robe that had the brotherhood's emblem embroidered on it in shades of purple and turquoise, the only colour on the voluminous black cloak. He sat on the bed to remove his boots, the whole time conscious of the other man's eyes on him. Before he could get distracted he focused his attention on the clasps of his boots. He let out a small sigh of release as they slipped from his feet. He stood to remove the rest of his clothes.   
  
Next to come off was his leather belt that had a pouch for all his keepsakes. He left that on the bed with the robe. He took of his sash next which he handed to Ben. He undid his outer tunic, shrugging out of it noticing Ben's sharp intake of breath. Qui-Gon smiled to himself. He moved his hands up his body, skimming over thin material with well toned flesh beneath it. He stretched up wards letting out a small groan as his muscles pulled tight. Pretending not to notice Ben's expression he removed his inner tunic, revealing a body finely tuned over years of conditioning. He handed Ben both his tunics.  
  
Ben absently put his hand out to take the clothes but his eyes were raking over Qui-Gon's torso. Seeing the ripple of muscle as he moved and noting every scar and wondering at the story and adventure behind them. Realising he was staring, Ben blinked and dragged his eyes up to meet Qui-Gon's. The Jedi was smiling down at him. Resisting the urge to gulp, Ben met the older man's gaze squarely.  
  
"Leggings?"  
  
Without a word Qui-Gon bent over and slipped his trousers down his long legs, slowly revealing powerful thighs. When the leggings were pooled at his ankles he stood up straight, completely naked. He stepped out of the clothing at his feet and handed then to Ben who was now staring at the floor, trying not to look at the Jedi's magnificent body.  
  
"I'll have them ready for you by tomorrow morning."  
  
"Thank you." Qui-Gon practically purred at Ben who visibly melted under the vocal cures. Ben looked at Qui-Gon and whispered in a voice hoarse with lust,  
  
"Goodnight *my* Lord Jedi." He gave the older man a shy smile as he bade the warrior goodnight and left him alone in the tiny room. Qui-Gon hadn't missed the emphasis on 'my'.  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
  
Sleep didn't come easily to either man that night, but it remained elusive for different reasons. Qui-Gon lay on his narrow cot, staring out the window that let in the ghostly light of the stars and the full moon. From where he lay he could see it in all its beauty, its peace and tranquillity reflected in his own soul. He felt content to be in this house, to be near a man who was almost a total stranger, but there was, within that young, beautiful body a presence that was so familiar, but he was still unable to say why or give it a name.  
  
/Almost like my soul's reflection./  
  
For that night he lived in the moment, enjoying the unknown, but not unwelcome, presence. He would ask the questions tomorrow when what he felt wasn't such a precious comfort, in the morning when the light of the suns banished the cold darkness, tomorrow when the golden light touched the Border Forest. When the night had withered away he would no longer need the shield the presence provided and so he would be free to exam what he felt and why.  
  
Ben lay within his bed on the other side of the cabin; unlike Qui-Gon's room Ben's room was dark and sheltered away from the shimmering, pale light of the moon. His thoughts matched his surroundings, influenced by the dark presence that never seemed to leave his side. It wasn't part of him but it was always there none the less. Ben spent that first night shivering beneath his blankets, terrified. He didn't understand what he felt from the Jedi warrior, all he wanted was to be in those powerful arms. In those brief minutes together the darkness seemed to lift, retreating from the Jedi's light. He wanted that back but was afraid of what it would cost him so he lay awake, his thoughts a tumbling mess of emotions.  
  
____________________________________________________________________  
  
In the morning Qui-Gon found his clothes neatly folded at the foot of his bed. When he rose to do his morning exercise and meditation, he was pleased to see Ben as he went outside. The younger man greeted him with a nod of his head before continuing with his task. Qui-Gon found a soft patch of grass to sit on while he sank into a moment of quiet reflection. One thought and explanation kept resurfacing, but it was a 'what if'... he could not stand by another 'what if'... and this one, to his mind, was illogical. Finding meditation unsuccessful he opened his senses to the Living Force that surrounded him and began the Kata of Beauty. As he went through the positions he became more aware of his surroundings and his place within it.   
  
The trees rose high above him on all sides but sun light had a clear path through the roof of foliage to the clearing where Ben's home stood. The beauty of the place struck Qui-Gon but as his connection grew deeper he felt something else. A taint. It wasn't Ben but there was something here. He wished he had time to find out what it was but he needed to meet up with the Jedi council. He could not stay here forever, however much he may wish to.  
  
/Maybe he'll go with you./  
  
The thought came from nowhere, as if someone else had spoken it deep within his soul, he also realised that he would like it very much if Ben would accompany him on his journey. His eyes rested on Ben's form as he worked in the garden, weeding the carrot patch. He sighed,  
  
/The simple pleasures in life./  
  
Qui-Gon brushed himself off, smiling as he did so. Perhaps he could help out a little while he was here, to repay the young man for his kindness. With that thought he began walking towards the cabin's garden.  
  
____________________________________________________________________  
  
  
The moment the Jedi Master began walking towards him, Ben was aware of it. All of his senses seemed to be in tune and in perfect harmony with the older man. There seemed to be an intimate touch between their souls, and the sheer possibility sent a shiver of joy down his spine. He straightened from his digging to look at Qui-Gon as he walked towards him. What he saw took his breath away. Every time he saw the Jedi his desire for the man grew, the way the suns shone on his silver hair and the way he moved with unconscious grace and the way his soulful blue eyes looked deep within him. Time stood still for both as they gazed at each other. There was a subtle shift in the Force around them, as if another was there, then both lent forward to steal a light kiss.  
  
Amazed at his own actions Ben pulled away hurriedly, embarrassed of his presumptions. He looked back up to the Jedi who was smiling at him fondly.  
  
"Is there anything I can do to help?"  
  
"We could do with some more fire wood." He gestured over to an axe and a large pile of logs. Qui-Gon smiled and moved to comply, briefly wondering what Ben meant when he said we. Was it Ben and himself or another? A new emotion sprang into Qui-Gon's mind, an emotion he had not been acquainted with for some years. Jealousy. What if there was another? What did he or she mean to Ben? How much of his life did he share with this unidentified person? Where they intimate?  
  
Qui-Gon mentally shook himself; he was jumping to conclusions. He was a Jedi Master and these were not thoughts befitting a man like himself. To distract himself further, Qui-Gon began his task.  
  
He took off his tunics, revealing a fine toned, muscled torso with sun kissed skin. The morning sun shone on Qui-Gon's back causing him to sweat. Ben's mouth went dry as he watched drops of perspiration roll down the muscular body. With the strength befitting a warrior, the Jedi Master set about his task.  
  
/Why would someone like that ever want me?/ Sighing regretfully, Ben returned to his work.  
  
Out of the corner of his eye, Qui-Gon saw Ben gazing at him with undisguised lust. The young man sighed suddenly. Qui-Gon wondered what he had been thinking to cause such a heartfelt sound. He shook his head in frustration, it was no good, he couldn't stop thinking about the man who was now back at work, fifteen yards from where he was.  
  
/And that kiss hasn't helped anything./  
  
Ben seemed to be in his blood and the attraction grew with every beat of his heart.  
  
/What bewitchment is this? That I could fall in love with someone I don't even know./ He suddenly understood what it was he was feeling. Love, as simple as that. /My Queen, My Adi, I love you still but I am unable to resist him. I wish I could talk to you./  
  
Bitterness filled Qui-Gon for the briefest of moments. He was alone and had been for fifteen years and now this boy had broken into his heart with a kind word and a smile. But then just as suddenly it was gone, the bitterness of fifteen years evaporated with the memory of love that could be again.  
  
/Live in the moment./ He smiled and for the first time in fifteen years it was a genuine one of complete joy.  
  
After an hour Qui-Gon put down his axe, stretching his back. He looked around for Ben who had been working his way along the beds of shrubs but when he looked around the garden only a lone shovel stood. The Jedi Master heard a door bang behind him. Qui-Gon turned to see Ben walking towards him carrying a pitcher of water, two glasses and a bowl of fruit.  
  
Qui-Gon smiled at Ben who blushed as he set the tray down. The Jedi warrior walked over to his companion, and when he stood before him he leaned forward, moving his body closer until he could feel the heat from Ben's body.  
  
Ben was acutely aware of Qui-Gon's body as he leaned closer to him. The well toned flesh was mere inches from him. He watched a droplet of sweat run down Qui-Gon's chest, slipping over well defined muscle. He tracked it down with his eyes past Qui-Gon's nipple down to the top of the Jedi's leggings where it soaked into the material. Ben looked back up to the Jedi's face, lust filled green eyes met inflamed blue ones.  
  
"You look hot, my Lord Jedi."  
  
"Indeed I am, Ben."  
  
"Perhaps you should have a drink." Qui-Gon didn't answer; instead he put his arm around the younger man. Ben held his breath but instead of the embrace he had been expecting Qui-Gon withdrew with a piece of fruit in his hand.  
  
"Tease." Slipped out of Ben's lips before he remembered who he was talking to and could censor the thought. Completely straight-faced Qui-Gon replied,  
  
"Jedi don't tease." And with that he took a bit out of the ripe fruit allowing the juice to trickle over his chin.  
  
"Oh, really." Ben watched as a smug grin spread across the Jedi Master's face. The only warning Qui-Gon got was the mischievous glint in Ben's eyes before he found himself drenched in water with Ben standing before him holding the now empty pitcher.  
  
"You don't look hot now, my Lord Jedi." Qui-Gon felt the cool water taking the heat from his body as it evaporated in the suns' heat, and the triumphant look on Ben's face told him he had lost.  
  
"Thank you, Ben. I feel very refreshed." With an air of satisfaction Ben returned to tending his garden and after watching for a few moments, so did Qui-Gon.  
  
__________________________________________________________________   
  
Midday meal soon approached and with the strenuous activities he had been doing Qui-Gon found he had quite an appetite, and not just for food. He wanted to hear Ben's quiet spoken voice and see his radiant smile.  
  
/Love smitten fool./ Qui-Gon thought but decided he didn't mind in the slightest.  
  
Ben moved around the kitchen with ease, preparing a light meal for himself and his guest and as he did so, Qui-Gon took the time to look closer at his surroundings. The inside of the cabin, like the outside, was neat and well kept but this place didn't feel like Ben somehow, another presence was here, drowning out Ben's. Ben couldn't have been here long enough to create a powerful imprint on the cabin. There were no books in the house which surprised Qui-Gon. Ben seemed like a well educated man, yet there were no signs of it here.  
  
"Lived here long?" Ben turned to look at the Jedi.  
  
"Yes. This was my childhood home."  
  
/Huh./ From what he was sensing Ben had not been here that long. And there was something else too, niggling at the back of his mind.  
  
"Live alone?" Ben froze for a fraction of a second and if Qui-Gon hadn't been watching closely he would have missed it.  
  
"No, I live here with my step brother." Ben wouldn't look at him now.  
  
/Odd/  
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"He goes off days at a time, I never know when he'll be back." There was hidden meaning to that but Qui-Gon didn't push any further. Ben was clearly uncomfortable with the conversation. He didn't want to pry.  
  
/Well, not yet./  
  
After a long tiring day of chores, the two men sat in front of a blazing fire. It was still summer but with winter's approach, the nights were becoming longer and colder. Night was also the time when the dark was most powerful and in the coming months, its strength would grow. A fire's light offered some comfort even if it was only superficial. They talked well into the night, nothing personal, just each taking joy in the other's intelligence. They talked about the state of their world and the war and of the forest outside. Qui-Gon was pleasantly surprised by Ben's level of understanding in both natural and human matters. As the evening progressed they became comfortable in each other's presence and Ben seemed to forget the Jedi and see the man by no longer calling him 'my Lord'.  
  
Ben stood to refill his mug, and when he turned to address Qui-Gon he found the Jedi standing before him. He gazed into his blue crystal eyes and saw everything he was feeling reflected back.  
  
"Qui-Gon, I..."  
  
"Ssssh." Qui-Gon took Ben's cup from his hand and placed it on the table, he moved closer to the younger man, never breaking eye contact. "Don't talk." Qui-Gon leaned forward and took Ben's lips in a gentle kiss. Encouraged by Ben not pulling away like before, he deepened the kiss, seeking entrance into the velvet softness. Ben submitted easily and soon both men had their arms wrapped around the other, desperately seeking the love the other was offering. They regretfully pulled back and as they did, the world snapped back into focus around them.  
  
"I'm sorry."   
  
Before Qui-Gon could answer, Ben was pulling away and retreating to his own room. Qui-Gon was hurt by Ben's sudden withdrawal but he had the feeling it wasn't him that had caused it. Ben was upset about something and Qui-Gon was determined to find out what it was, he had felt the love in Ben's kiss and he needed to know what was holding Ben away.  
  
Qui-Gon tried to follow Ben but found he couldn't. There was a pressure inside of him, pushing him to his own room instead of Ben's. He wanted to question what was happening but found his mind sluggish. He made it to his bed before falling into an unnatural sleep.   
__________________________________________________________________  
  
  
Qui-Gon had a restless night, his thoughts churning over what had happened between Ben and himself. He awoke more than once from a nightmare that faded away into his subconscious until no memory of it remained. Near sunrise Qui-Gon awoke to a sharp banging noise, he was sure he could hear hushed voices, one angry and the other afraid. He was about to get up and investigate when the whispering abruptly stopped. He thought he heard a thud as something hit the floor but he couldn't be sure. After several minutes of silence, exhaustion claimed him and he slipped into a light sleep.  
  
Outside his door a figure stood hidden in shadow, his ear pressed to the door listening for any further movement.  
  
"I'm sorry Qui-Gon to do this to you twice."  
  
If the Jedi had been prepared for such an attack he would never have succumbed to Ben's gentle prodding but Qui-Gon trusted Ben. Ben pulled his senses back into himself feeling guilt over his manipulation of the Jedi Master and the abuse of his trust but he had seen no other way.  
  
_____________________________________________________________________  
  
  
Qui-Gon awoke with the dawn. He lay in his bed, watching the world become alight with the flame of the suns. The golden light began to cascade over the tree tops giving the Border Forest a glowing halo of fire and for the moment he could almost forget the Dark Border that lay beyond. Soon after he woke Qui-Gon herd noises coming from the kitchen. He rose in search of breakfast.   
  
He wandered into the kitchen to find Ben hard at work preparing a cooked breakfast.  
  
"Can I help?"  
  
"No, please sit down." Ben didn't turn around when he addressed the Jedi and Qui-Gon detected a note of strain in his voice. Qui-Gon crossed the small kitchen area to stand behind Ben.  
  
"Are you alright?" Taking the other man's arm he gently turned his so they were face to face. He gasped in surprise. A dark bruise marred Ben's cheek and there was a nasty cut above his eyebrow. The Jedi began to bring his arm up to heal the minor wound but he was stopped by Ben's grip on his wrist.  
  
"Who did that?"  
  
"No one." Ben's eyes betrayed his misery. "I fell." Ben quickly turned back to the cooking food, ignoring Qui-Gon. "Please sit down." Just then he heard footsteps approaching and then there was another man entering the kitchen.  
  
"My lord, this is my stepbrother, Bruck." Qui-Gon bowed to the other man noticing the startling differences between the two men. Bruck was taller than Ben and had long white hair. His skin, like his hair, was pale, white in comparison to Ben's tanned body. With his Jedi senses Qui-Gon also detected a faint taint in his aura, nothing too obvious but there was definitely something there, shaded away from everything else.  
  
"Ah yes, my brother said we had an honoured guest last night when I returned home. I hope I didn't disturb you." Qui-Gon shook his head; he did not miss the flash of jealousy that flashed across Bruck's blue eyes or the anger that accompanied it. Nor did he miss the mocking tone that he used when he referred to his step brother. "Good, please sit down with me, I am no chef so I leave the cooking to Ben who is quite exceptional." Qui-Gon sat down with Bruck talking to him about the army's activities. He spoke often without giving anything away. He noticed Ben's absence, as soon as breakfast was set on the table he had left, going out into the yard. Qui-Gon felt that the room was oddly darker with out him in it.  
  
"How did the two of you come to living together?" He asked in a casual tone but he was anxious to hear the answer. He wasn't sure if he wanted to know but he felt that he should, between the man's aura and the warnings in the Force he had deduced very quickly where the bruise on Ben's cheek had come from. He had only know Ben for little over a day but he felt protective of the youth and so he felt compelled to ask.  
  
"My father and his mother were married for a short time. She died when Ben was seven, leaving him in my father's care."  
  
"And Ben's father?"  
  
"Died when Ben was five, my own father died last year, Ben returned here shortly after leaving the army."  
  
"The army?"  
  
"Yes, he never made much of himself though, he is still a weed like he was as a child." Bruck was easily ten years older than Ben and Qui-Gon wondered at their past relationship.  
  
"I think I may go out for my morning meditation." Qui-Gon walked away from the cabin, making sure it was still within view he sat down to meditate and watch. Bruck had been very polite to him during their morning meal but it had seemed so fake. At that moment Bruck came out of the Cabin, approaching Ben from behind. When he was ten yards away he stopped and look around him,  
  
/Checking for me./  
  
Believing Qui-Gon was nowhere around, Bruck began shouting at his stepbrother. Qui-Gon was too far away to hear what was being said but he suspected he was the cause of Bruck's outburst. His suspicions were confirmed when a wave of jealousy and anger hit him, its source was clearly Bruck, but what did surprise the Jedi was the sympathy which rolled off of Ben and reached out to Bruck. Ben said nothing as he was laid into for no reason other than to show compassion to another person. He took the verbal abuse, showing no signs of defence. The one-sided argument ended when Bruck stormed back inside the house, slamming the door behind him.  
  
The gentle peace that Qui-Gon had felt upon arriving and meeting Ben was shattered. He wished he could do something but he could not linger there much longer, he had to meet up with the Jedi council before they began their southward journey for winter. But the Force had led him to this isolated home among the trees. Frustration gripped his mind for an instant. If only he knew what needed to be done.  
  
/I will see how things progress and if necessary I'll take him with me./  
  
What if he won't leave?  
  
Qui-Gon didn't even want to think about the possibility. Ben had been terrified last night when he had kissed him but it had felt so right. He could not imagine being without the quiet thoughtful man. After a time Ben had come out of his shell and the Jedi was delighted to find a keen intellect and a wicked sense of humour. He didn't want to lose what they had found together. They were meant to be together, the Force was practically telling them that and Qui-Gon was sure that Ben felt it too.  
  
___________________________________________________________________  
  
  
Later that afternoon Ben was once again working in the yard, and Bruck was in the barn tending to the few animals the two men owned. This was the ideal opportunity to approach Ben. The closeness they had built up seemed to have vanished but Qui-Gon was not deceived by the surface feelings he could sense.  
  
/Or maybe I'm just plain stubborn./  
  
"Ben, may I speak with you?" Ben whirled around, clearly surprised by the appearance of the older man. He glanced over at the barn, nervously.  
  
"Of course, my Lord. How may I help?"  
  
"I was hoping you would let me help you."  
  
"I'm sorry, my Lord, I don't understand." Ben began to fidget, growing more nervous with every passing second.   
  
"Ben, what happened? I thought we had become friends." Qui-Gon's proximity made Ben nervous, he kept glancing over to the barn where he knew Bruck was. He leaned forward, whispering to the older man.  
  
"Please, Qui-Gon, not now." Not daring to remain any longer, Ben stepped away heading towards the house. Qui-Gon didn't let his irritation take over. Instead he followed the other man, determined to get an answer one way or another.  
  
"Ben, please let me help you."  
  
"What can you do?" his voice held the dull tone of inevitable failure.  
  
"Leave with me."  
  
"Don't you think I've tried that? He always finds me. He has allies, powerful allies."  
  
"Don't you feel it? There is a connection between us. I don't believe I could live without it now that I have found it. I don't understand it but I know what it is, it's love. I love you Ben and I want you. Let me help you." Tears streamed down Ben's face, Qui-Gon's confession reaching deep within him to the part he had hidden away.  
  
"I love you too." The power of his emotions caused Ben's voice to come out in a harsh whisper, "but how can that help?"  
  
"You have lost your faith," Qui-Gon said. Ben didn't answer so he continued. "I can feel the Force all around us, this love is born from it, it is light itself. It is meant to be. The Force will protect us if we follow it. Please give me the chance to prove it to you, to restore your faith." The conviction in Qui-Gon's voice stopped Ben's flow of tears but it left the ever present sadness.  
  
"I don't understand how but I know I love you, Qui-Gon. It may be the will of the Force, it could be fate, but even if it is I am still afraid." A gentle sigh escaped Ben's lips. "I will stay here, the dark is close by and Bruck is strong because of it. He's half Jedi you know?" The Jedi Master didn't try and hide his surprise, he hadn't sensed any thing from Bruck which perhaps showed how strong he was, at least in this place. Ben turned away, gazing out into the deep forest. His voice dropped as he remembered a time long ago. "His father was a Jedi, although I question his allegiances to the light; a fallen Jedi perhaps. But what do I know, the son of a simple farmer."  
  
"And a soldier from what I hear." Qui-Gon saw a smile blossom across Ben's face before he schooled his features back into a neutral mask.  
  
"Yes, I was a soldier, but I returned here hoping Bruck was different, that I could help him and in my ignorance I have become a prisoner in my own family home. These are the things that the Force has given me. I see no light here, it is obscured by there trees and I am unable to pass beyond them so you will forgive me if I do not believe that love will save me. The dark is too powerful and for now I am to weak to fight it." Ben strode away from the Jedi Master. Qui-Gon couldn't bring himself to follow, he could now feel the darkness that surrounded Ben, but he could also sense that the darkness was not part of the younger man.  
  
/He said for now. That means there is still hope deep within Ben and hope is definitely of the light./ Qui-Gon returned to his meditation determined to show Ben what he already knew.  
  
__________________________________________________________________  
  
  
He spent the evening with Bruck, learning all he could about the man, his strengths, his weaknesses and ways that he could exploit them. He retired for the night confident in his ability to free Ben from this man.   
  
It was late when he was once again woken by noises. He rose, hoping to stop Bruck before he went too far. As he reached the door that led into the corridor a loud crash from the main living area broke the silence of the night. Fearing the worst Qui-Gon rushed out of his little room.  
  
The Jedi Master halted when he reached the other part of the cabin; the sight and the feeling of darkness that emanated from what felt like everything stunned him. The room was completely destroyed. All the furniture was turned over, bits of plates and glass were scattered all over the floor and amongst them lay splinters of wood. A sharp gust of wind swept through the cabin through the open door extinguishing all the candles that remained alight. He carefully walked over the debris to close the door. As he lowered the latch he heard a muffled sob from the corner of the room.  
  
As Qui-Gon squinted into the darkness, the silver light of the moon revealed a figure huddled on the floor. Terror radiated from him in waves. The sandy hair revealed the figure to be Ben. Slowly he walked forward not wishing to frighten him any more than he already was. When the boy made no move he crouched down by his side.  
  
"Ben?"   
  
Ben's face was hidden in shadow but Qui-Gon could see the mottled bruises on his arm and neck. Qui-Gon sent his Force sense outwards, searching for the tainted aura of Bruck. All he could feel was the Border Forest and the night creatures that lived there. They were alone, for now.  
  
"He has gone, Ben. Let me help you." He didn't get an answer but Ben reached forward grasping Qui-Gon's sleeping tunic. The Jedi's hands came up smoothing over the tight grip. He gently held the younger man's hands between his own.  
  
"It will be alright" Qui-Gon gathered Ben into his arms picking him up off the floor. Ben shivered in his arms as he carried him over the devastated furniture. Ben's sobs reduced to quiet hiccups as he snuggled into the reassuring warmth.  
  
Gently Qui-Gon put Ben down on his bed. He left the youth for a moment to light a candle. The orange glow from the tiny flame flickered across the room and Ben's face. There were streaks of tears on his cheeks and his green eyes glittered with unshed tears.   
  
"Sssh, it'll be alright. Lie down." Qui-Gon helped Ben under the covers, they would have to leave in the morning, but for now Ben needed some rest. Qui-Gon rose only to be stopped by a white hand gripping his wrist.  
  
"Don't leave me." The desperate behind the plea wrenched at the Jedi's heart.  
  
"I won't." Ever. He added to himself. "Sleep now, we'll leave at dawn if you are willing to come."  
  
"I'll go with you." A ghost of a smile swept over Ben's lips as he drifted into an uneasy sleep. Qui-Gon began packing, the suns would rise soon and they must be on their way by first light.  
  
_________________________________________________________________  
  
  
When the first touches of light came to the forest Qui-Gon Jinn was ready. He had packed up his things and salvaged some food from the kitchen. He now stood on the porch waiting for Ben to finish collecting his things and join him.  
  
Bruck had not returned during the night but Qui-Gon was ready for him if he did reappear. There was more to Bruck than what met the eye. And even though Qui-Gon was a full Jedi Master he was weary. Despite knowing there was still something not right around them Qui-Gon was determined to succeed in helping Ben escape. He loved the youth, of that he was sure, even if he couldn't understand how. And now he knew that Ben loved him and wanted to be with him. All that stood between them was this place.  
  
Ben appeared on the porch next to Qui-Gon carrying a small bag.  
  
"This is all I want." Ben look around sadly, at what had once been his family home, a place of happiness. And what had later it had become his prison. But now he was free. Ben looked at the tall Jedi and loved filled his senses. This was right, what he felt was right and leaving was right. He inhaled deeply, savouring the crisp morning air and a small, happy smile adorned his lips and contentment showed in his eyes.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
He held out his hand to Qui-Gon who took it with gentle strength. Ben led the Jedi around the cabin to the barn where the animals were kept. Within it were two beautiful horses, one black, and the other white. They were stark contrasts and total opposites to each other but they seemed to go together so well.   
  
/Like us./  
  
"Thunder and Lightning."  
  
Qui-Gon didn't need to be told which animal was which. Their beauty and power shone from within and their colouring gave them their names. Ben began pulling tack from hook and putting saddles on the pair of horses.  
  
"I brought them with me when I left the army. Lightning is faster, but Thunder, with his sturdier build, is more suited for battle." He looked away from the stall to see blue eyes as he spoke next. "Bruck's been riding Thunder."   
  
Ben finished putting the tack on the horses in silence; the Jedi watched his gentle but confident movements from the barn door. Both men jumped when a sound of glass shattering broke the relative calm, breaking them both from their hypnotic actions. Ben tensed in fear, glancing towards the larger man, desperate to see reassurance.  
  
"What was that?"  
  
"I'll go and see."  
  
"Take Thunder with you."  
  
Qui-Gon mounted the horse and trotted him out to the front of the cabin. The wooden building was in flames. Fire licked at the windows and roof, burning through them, setting the whole building alight. Qui-Gon looked on with horror, his paralysis broken by the startled cry from the Barn. Turning his horse around Qui-Gon hurried back to Ben only to find him trapped in the barn, the doors obscured by fire. Bruck stood watching with a torch in his hand, admiring his handy work and feeding off Ben's fear.  
  
"Ben, jump." There was nothing Qui-Gon could do as he watched the flames grow higher devouring the wooden structure. "Bruck, why?"  
  
"I won't let him go."  
  
Out of the corner of his eye Qui-Gon saw Ben mount Lightning. Turning fully he was in time to see Ben urge the horse into a gallop heading straight for the burning exit. As the horse leaped into the air the wall of flames seemed to shrink back, making a gap for the mare and her rider. Bruck was furious at Ben's escape and he began screaming his anger at the retreating forms of Ben and Qui-Gon.  
  
The two men raced off, side by side, away from the burning cabin and Bruck's hateful words. The flames fed on the little dwelling, cleansing it of the Darkness, which had choked it for so long.  
  
"Damn you Ben, I'll find you."  
  
Ben ignored the threats as he rode away next to the man who he loved and who had the power to set him free. 


	3. Chapter 2 - A Space For Us

AN:Well here's chapter two. Enjoy and please R&R.  
  
  
  
Chapter 2- A SPACE FOR US.  
  
They rode through the Border Forest for two days. They were in reconquered land, a place for the light, yet their path led them very close to the Dark Border, bringing them closer to their fears. Both could feel the darkness pressing down on them, even from a distance. The horses, too, felt something and began to get restless, reluctant to carry the two travellers on their chosen path. On the second night they were on the part of the trail that was closest to the Dark Border.  
  
Qui-Gon had hoped to put some distance between them and the border before night fell. They could either press on and sleep during the day when they were a safe distance away, or they could camp where they now were. One look at Ben made Qui-Gon's mind up. The closeness of the Dark was having an effect on him. The boy radiated fear and jumped at every whisper of sound. They continued on and as their path began to lead them away from the Dark, relief flooded Ben's eyes.  
  
The night was passing them by quickly as they rode through the Border Forest. As they grew closer to open land, they began to relax and that was the moment they were attacked. From out of nowhere men came, riding horses as black as the night itself.  
  
"Bandits." Qui-Gon hissed to his companion.  
  
Each wore a blood red mask and was holding aloft a blade that flashed in the near total darkness. Each was ready for battle, prepared to kill. There were only five in the group, but they still out numbered Qui-Gon and Ben, even if one of them was a Jedi Master.   
  
Before he could order Ben into a defence strategy, the younger man kicked his heels into his mount's sides and galloped into the darkness, two bandits close behind, chasing him away from Qui-Gon. The Jedi Master had no time to worry about Ben as he was attacked by those that remained. He dodged the three blades as much as he was able, attacking only when he saw an opening. Within a few seconds, one of the masked men lay dead, his horse galloping off back into the perpetual night.   
  
The bandits were skilled swordsmen but Qui-Gon had the advantage of experience and the Force. He moved faster than they could see, inflicting a dozen minor wounds. Just as the fight began, it was over, the two remaining men retreating. Qui-Gon remained on his horse, sword at the ready in case of another attack. His loud gasps for breath were the only sounds he heard until he heard the rustle of fallen leaves as a horse walked over them. He readied himself for another round when he saw a white mare with a familiar figure riding it.  
  
Qui-Gon was surprised to see Ben so soon and with no wounds at all. Ben was also sporting a very cocky grin. Seeing Qui-Gon's surprise the young man's smile grew wider.  
  
"You forget, I spent fourteen years as a soldier. You pick up a few tricks." The Jedi Master let out a deep laugh that sent joy straight to Ben's heart. Smiling at Ben, Qui-Gon dismounted and said,  
  
"Come, let us build a fire and camp here for the rest of the night."  
  
_________________________________________________________________  
  
They soon had a blaze going, warming their chilled limbs. As Qui-Gon tended to some minor scratches, Ben looked over the body of the bandit Qui-Gon had killed. He was dressed all in black, the only colour was the red hood over his head. He had a number of daggers concealed within his clothes and a sword that now lay useless by his side. He also had a small number of coins in his inside pocket and a hand drawn map of the area.  
  
Ben searched all the bandit's pockets but he knew he was putting off removing the hood.  
  
/No time like the present./  
  
He reached his hand up to the bottom of the Red material when suddenly a hand was gripping at his throat. Choking him. Their would be killer's body was dying and as it did the grip on Ben's throat got tighter. Qui-Gon was at his side instantly, prying the fingers away from the vulnerable flesh. Finally the bandit died, his hand loosening and falling back to his side. In the light of the fire the Jedi Master examined Ben's neck. He would have some nasty bruises by morning but other than that, he would be fine.  
  
This time Qui-Gon reached for the hood, pulling it off in one fluid motion. The man was young, perhaps 30, had closely cropped black hair and a scar down his left cheek. His now unseeing eyes shone black in the firelight.  
  
"A Dark Agent." Qui-Gon whispered, knowing that the eyes were the only sign that this body was not natural but had been created to fight another's war.  
  
They spent the rest of the night a respectable distance away from the corpse, neither feeling very comfortable with it so close by. When dawn came they were already preparing to leave the temporary camp wanting to get away from that place as soon as possible.  
  
_________________________________________________________________-  
  
They spent another day riding through the forest. As night once again closed in, the trees seemed to loom over them menacingly, blocking out the small amount of light cast down upon the earth by the stars and moon. In daylight hours the forest was beautiful and splendid, the trees soaring high, arching to reach the sky. The living Force resonated in their being, the green leaves seemed to sparkle in the light creating the illusion of an other-worldly glow. But in the hours between dusk and dawn that magnificence was forgotten, overshadowed by fear. The comfort the travellers had gained during the day was taken away with the sight of the declining sun.  
  
They set up camp well before dusk, both exhausted from their previous night's fight. They sat together in front of the fire not touching, but close enough to feel the heat of the other's body. Nothing had been said of the kiss they had shared or the growing bond that connected them. They didn't need to; they were patient in their acceptance of it. They would wait to see where it led, not rushing in before they understood completely what it meant.   
  
With the fight behind them, Qui-Gon noticed Ben finally relaxing and returning to the man he had gotten close to in those first few days. The frightened boy that Bruck had brought out disappeared once again to the back of Ben's mind. Qui-Gon was glad of the change, relieved to see his companion's sense of humour returning and the radiant smile that accompanied it. Instead of terrified glances, he got shy smiles and bashful looks. As the day wore on, Ben came out of his shell more and more until he was back to 'normal'. To talk to him you would never guess of the troubles that lay beneath his eyes and his past.   
  
/The darkness takes so much from us, including our childhoods. Some worse than others./ Now that he had Ben back, they began to talk.  
  
"Twenty three years ago my father died. I was five at the time and didn't really understand what it meant. My mother was devastated, my parents were very close, bonded at the deepest level. She knew she would not live many years without him, so she married Ethes K'arn, so that when she passed on to be with him, I would not be alone. Ethes was a Jedi but my mother was so blinded with grief that she did not see that he had fallen.   
  
"She died when I was seven.  
  
"I was left in Ethes' care. What he hoped to gain from his marriage to my mother I didn't know. All I knew was that I was suddenly alone. Ethes had a son named Bruck, he was older than me and for a time we were rivals, but when my mother died we no longer had a guardian to protect us. Ethes turned his anger on us and we turned to each other. We became friends as close as brothers. I honestly believed that we would be together someday, that we would be more than friends and I think he believed that too. I loved him but I fear it was too late for him even then.   
  
"It wasn't his fault he had been mistreated by his father ever since he was a baby. Gradually he began to turn on me, once again seeing me as a rival, this time for his father's warped affection. That hurt more than any physical pain.  
  
"I was growing tired of life; all I wanted to do was sleep and never wake up. I was thirteen and ready to surrender to oblivion when I suddenly felt stronger again. Hope seemed to spring out of nowhere. I decided to try and slip away. I tried to get Bruck to go with me, escape the darkness that was clouding us both but it was too hard for him to fight. He had been snared by his father's net of pain and dependence.  
  
"But I was not.  
  
"So I ran. For days I ran, barely resting. By luck I stumbled upon an army camp. It was the Jedi councils' regiment. I joined their ranks, learning every thing I could, from sword play to diplomacy. We travelled all over. Our duty as soldiers was to protect the remaining Jedi as they met up with the army's generals to discuss the war against the dark. We often fought battles to protect them and many lost their lives, but it was necessary.  
  
"Each General has its own guard, like the council, and each general commands five companies of soldiers and within each of these are two Jedi Brothers. I met many of your kind, Qui-Gon, and I learned much from the other platoons we came into contact with. There was no lesson I would turn down. Then a year ago I received word that Ethes was dead.  
  
"I left the army. I was concerned for Bruck. I thought that with his father gone I could help him as I was unable to as a child. But I couldn't.   
  
"After fourteen years of being away, Bruck's belief that we would be together one day had not faded as mine had. I let him use me, hoping that my unconditional love would bring him back to the light. Instead it just put me in his power; unable to escape the place I had once called home. The closeness of the Dark Border fuelled his power and his Force abilities. There was nothing I could do until you came."  
  
  
As Ben told his story Qui-Gon listened with sympathy but also with the feeling something was being left unsaid. As Ben spoke of his childhood, he wept for his lost youth. Qui-Gon held him as he cried believing it to be the first time the young man had mourned his childhood. Nothing could be done to change the past, but the Jedi Master would make sure the future was brighter; for both of them, for everyone. He in turn told Ben his story, not shying away from any of the things he had avoided for years.  
  
  
  
"Both my parents were Jedi. I stayed with them until I was fifteen. They sent me to be trained by Master Yoda. I learnt much from him. He taught me the importance of living in the moment and showed me the beauty and power of the living Force. It was while I was with him that I met Adi Gallia, a Jedi sister. She was beautiful; long white hair and warm brown eyes. She was the most powerful warrior I had ever seen and of course she would be the last. The last of the sisters were dying and the most powerful, the Queen, could not last much longer. We both understood that.  
  
"Anakin was a little over a week old when Adi died. I felt despair that I would have to protect our son, alone but then our Queen gave me something so powerful, so strong, that I knew I would never stop fighting for him, for them both. She gave me the other half of herself to complete me. I became the warrior she had been. But I failed her. The Dark knew of Anakin. They knew he was the last Jedi with full powers. They knew he was our Queen's son. They sent a dark warrior after him, Ethes K'arn. Yes, I know that name also. He took all I had left of my Queen. I loved Ani and he took him from me.  
  
" I know Ani still lives. I would have felt it if he had died. But I have been unable to find him. I've wandered our lands, going between army camps and the villages. Fighting where I found darkness, determined to find my son.  
  
"I never did.  
  
"And now I return to the Jedi council without him but with another soul that needed my help. I know you are strong Ben and I know you will find yourself again now that you have escaped the Dark. Your guilt holds you back, I can sense it, but you shouldn't let it. I am only beginning to understand the effect that the loss of Anakin and the guilt that followed has had on me. I searched but I could not see. I return to the Jedi now with a deeper understanding of myself. I have not given up on Ani, but I will not give up on my people. They are part of me also.   
  
  
  
"I love you, Ben." Qui-Gon murmured, and as a result Ben pulled back, wiping his eyes on his sleeve.  
  
"How can you say that? There is so much I haven't told you. What if you change your mind when you find out? I don't think I could bear losing you, not now that I know what it's like to have you; to feel complete." Qui-Gon took Ben's face in his hands and spoke to him in a voice hushed by emotion, his eyes never leaving Ben's.  
  
"There are still many things for us to find out about each other, Ben. But I know this, I love you and it's that simple and it won't change." He leaned forward and kissed the younger man softly on the lips. "I love you and I want to be with you."  
  
"I love you too." Ben looked as if he would begin crying again so the Jedi Master gathered him in his arms and held him close. They sat together, quiet for a long time. Revelling in the feeling of having the other close.   
  
In the back of Qui-Gon's mind, still unknown to him, an old bond began to awaken, opening once again. Forging a path between two who share a soul.  
  
__________________________________________________________________  
  
The Jedi Master looked at his companion but found him staring out into the dark, his eyes not seeming to see anything.  
  
"Ben?"  
  
"Something is out there." It was a whisper and its meaning sent a shiver down Qui-Gon's spine. Reaching out with his own Force sense, the Jedi searched and found...  
  
"Nothing. I sense..." He didn't get to finish, because from out of the darkness rode ten black horses, each carrying a shadow warrior. Unlike the dark agents, they were sentient beings; men and women with Jedi in their blood. Not full Jedi but strong enough in the Force to be of use to the Dark. After the Sisters had died the other, weaker forces sensitives had become the next targets, but instead of poisoning them the Dark infected them with hate that did not kill them but turned them to the Dark side.  
  
They would not be able to win this fight, but Qui-Gon unsheathed his Lightsaber anyway. He may not win but he would not give up. They were quickly surrounded. The Jedi edged towards Ben, not wanting to be separated. When he had reached the other man's side, a faint clapping sound filled the air. Both the travellers turned to see Bruck riding another black horse towards them accompanied by a man in a black clock, his face concealed in its shadow.   
  
"Well, Ben, you got further than last time. But then, you did have help this time around."  
  
"So did you." Ben retorted, not showing his fear to his tormenter, though Qui-Gon could see it in his eyes as they turned to a misty grey.  
  
"Watch your tongue boy and remember your place. You will be punished later."  
  
"Why Bruck? Why sell your soul to the Dark? We were friends once. I often wonder what happened to that boy who used to protect me." Ben could almost convince himself he saw a flash of his friend, until Bruck's face contorted into a sneer.  
  
"Because they give me power, power that I deserve." He moved closer to the two prisoners. "Jedi, you have stolen something that belongs to me." He said nothing else but the deep growl of his voice portrayed a threat. Qui-Gon wasn't given a chance to answer. Ben stepped forward, standing tall and proud.  
  
"I challenge you to a duel for our freedom, do you accept?"   
  
"Not only will I beat you, but I will enjoy it too."  
  
"Ben?" The fear in that one word was almost too much for the young man He turned to face the man who had helped him escape with dread, unsure what he would see in his eyes.  
  
"I need to do this." A faint smile accompanied his words, "Besides he thinks I was a failure in the army. He is about to have a very nasty surprise." Ben took a moment to study the Jedi. He was regal and powerful, his stance not betraying a single thought but then he looked into his eyes and saw love and fear. Both for him. "I will be well, I promise." The young man winked as he turned to meet his foe, and Qui-Gon saw a sparkle in his eyes that he suspected hadn't been there since Ben had returned home.  
  
/Even if he loses you have freed him./ It was little consolation to the man that lay beneath the Jedi exterior /and you had the privilege of knowing his./ Before him the battle began to play out.  
  
The two men squared off against each other, swords at the ready. Bruck lunged forward but Ben was ready for him. He brought his own sword up to deflect the would be killing blow. The deadly dance of battle began, Bruck not giving an inch, his intentions clear. He meant to win and he would do whatever was necessary to ensure Ben was his again.  
  
The two men appeared evenly matched. Bruck's Jedi heritage giving him an edge he believed would defeat his stepbrother, but Ben had experience on his side. They danced back and forth, two clear styles evident. While Bruck moved in a frenzy of attacks so fast they seemed almost impossible to defend against, Ben moved with calculated precision. Bruck leaped forward hoping to knock the younger man over, but left himself open. Ben saw this and was immediately on the offensive. He sprung forward a split second after his attacker and slipped through his stepbrother's defences and drew blood.   
  
Resentment filled the air as it spilled from Bruck's soul. The Darkness swelled around him, feeding off the emotion and in turn Bruck fed off its power. Qui-Gon swayed under its intensity, trying to fend of its touch while trying to protect Ben from it also. But he didn't need to, Ben was unaffected by the darkness that swirled around them. He shone within the Force, a layer of light surrounding him, shielding him from the hate that reached out to him, hungry for his corruption. But as it touched the light, it seemed to wither and die.   
  
The battle raged on but Ben had the upper hand now, and with skill and finesse the Jedi Master was amazed by, he disarmed Bruck, leaving a deep cut on his opponent's cheek. Blood dribbled down Bruck's neck, the pain and surprise causing him to drop his weapon. The smile fell from his face as the sword fell to the ground.  
  
"To remember me by."  
  
"Seize them." Bruck's anger was at its pinnacle, his disbelief at losing to a man he considered a lesser man clouding his mind. The Shadow Warriors did not move to take the prisoners, instead they looked to the cloaked figure who had his hand raised high, halting the attack.  
  
"Why?" The defeated man begged. A deep voice from within the confines of the hood answered the bewildered man.   
  
  
"Because you lost. We may be Shadow warriors, but we are still honourable warriors. You agreed to the conditions of the duel, now you will fulfil your bargain. They are free to go. To imprison them now would not be the act of a Warrior, but a coward." He turned to speak to the Jedi and his companion, his face still hidden from their eyes.  
  
"Be on your way, but if you are not away from the Border by tomorrow's night, I will kill you myself." He turned to hi men. "Bring him." Bruck was pulled on to one of the Shadow warrior's horse without complaint. With no further word to the two travellers the Shadow Warriors disappeared back into the darkness, their presence once again concealed by the Force.  
  
"Ben, are you alright?"  
  
"Yes, Qui-Gon, I'm fine. Lets get some sleep so we can have an early start tomorrow. I want to be away from here soon." They spent the night in each other's arms, offering warmth against the chilled night air. In the light of day, Qui-Gon saw in Ben what had been missing. The Light. It shone in him now, in his very being, like it did for most souls. Over time, the light would be tainted by the world they lived in, but Ben, despite his life, remained whole inside.  
  
"I see the same in you." Ben had his back to Qui-Gon as he spoke.  
  
"How?" The Jedi Master did not believe what Ben had said. The Jedi saw the taint within himself. Ben turned to him, an understanding in his green eyes that spoke of wisdom beyond this world.  
  
"Because you are my Jedi Warrior." He turned back to the path ahead not needing further explanation. Both understood in their own way.  
  
  
For three days they rode, galloping through the trees until the forest gave way to rolling hills of lush green grass. A shimmering river weaved through, passing by copse and heathland. They flew over the country on their mounts, riding to meet up with the Jedi council. As the distance between them grew less, Qui-Gon could feel his friends within the Force, the presence acting like a beacon, finally showing him the way home.  
  
"Promise me, Qui-Gon, that once we are there, whatever happens, you will still love me?"  
  
"I will always love you, Ben. Eternity is for us."  
  
"I'll hold you to that."  
  
They rode to the top of a hill that looked over a valley coated in trees and farmland. Nestled below them was the army camp that protected the Jedi council. The presence of the camp did nothing to mar the valley's beauty; in fact it glowed with the light of the Force, which was beauty beyond all comprehension. The sun would set soon, but for now it shone onto the gathering of people making the metal gleam and the river sparkle gold.  
  
"I have always loved this view." Qui-Gon looked at Ben, surprised, understanding that the younger man had been here, so close to his home yet almost an age away.  
  
"Shall we... Beloved?" he was a little hesitant using the endearment, but the smile he received in return dashed all the fears he had carried.   
  
"Yes, my heart. Let us see what we will find." 


	4. Chapter 3 - The Gift Of Another

AN: Hello, first of all I'd like to thank the people who have said kind things and have encouraged my writing not just on FF.net but on M_A also. Second I have removed the unkind piece of feedback and would like to say to them yes I am a freak but not for the reasons you suggest. I know other slash writers have stopped writing due to closed-minded people and I think that is a tragedy I'd like to say I will not stop writing something I enjoy doing so much. And just in case you missed the SLASH warning in the summery (like someone else) this is SLASH, I am not ashamed of it, I admit to enjoy reading and writing it and if you don't then avoid it and leave the rest of us the hell alone. I will now reward everyone with the next chapter. I loved writing it and the other stories I am currently working on and I hope you enjoy it also. Now that I have had my small rant I shall go away and write a hot Jedi sex scene for one of my unfinished stories. Chocolate covered Jedi to all you lovely people. Tally   
  
Chapter 3- THE GIFT OF ANOTHER.  
  
The two riders depended into the valley at a trot, no longer racing against the time of the seasons. They entered the camp, which was based at the foot of a vertical rock face leaving only three sides to defend. The Jedi council's tents were pressed up against the rock with the camp forming a defensive barrier around them. As Qui-Gon and Ben, rode through the camp the Jedi Master noted that there were too many soldiers to just be the council's guard, but not enough to form a regiment. That meant that these other soldiers were the companies designated to protecting the generals.   
  
After the last Jedi sister had died, the army was taken over by the Jedi council with ten generals to guide them. Looking around and judging from the size of the camp, Qui-Gon guessed there must be two generals in meetings with the council, which was unusual. Something was going on. Becoming more suspicious, Qui-Gon looked closer at the camp and noticed it was divided into three individual companies. However, one group was being ostracised by the other soldiers. They reached the Jedi council's tent but were stopped by a sentry.  
  
"Master Jedi, you may go in. He must say out here." Qui-Gon turned to his companion.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ben."  
  
"That's okay, Qui-Gon. You go in." The Jedi Master dismounted, handing the reigns to Ben, his hand lingering at the slight contact. He gave the other man a faint smile and left him alone. Qui-Gon entered the tent to find the Jedi council and two generals sitting around a large, oblong table. Master Yoda was the first to notice his arrival. He stood from his place at the head of the table and made his way to his Padawan. Yoda was the oldest Jedi alive. He was very short and he spoke with an unusual speech pattern, but he was considered wisest among the council and rumoured to be the most powerful Jedi in the brotherhood.  
  
As Yoda stood, the other occupants stopped talking and noticed Qui-Gon, who moved further into the tent to greet his Master.  
  
"Back you are."  
  
"Yes, my Master and I bring news of the enemy."  
  
"Then sit and tell us what you know." Qui-Gon sat in an unoccupied chair, offering greetings to friends and colleagues. Mace Windu introduced the two generals and their aides who also sat in on the council meeting.  
  
"This is General Deni Woon and his aid Jez K'ans," the two men turned to the newcomer nodding in respect. "And this is acting General Lang Ki'son." This General didn't turn to Qui-Gon but remained staring at the dark skinned Jedi Master, anger written all over his face. "Now, my friend what is it you have to tell us?"  
  
  
Ben waited outside the tent for all of five seconds then, with a little regret for not telling his new companion where he was going he slipped away further into the mass of soldiers.  
  
__________________________________________________________________  
  
"I have seen the Border. The darkness is already eating into our hard won territory. Their agents get bolder, venturing further into our lands. I did manage to question a Shadow Warrior before he died. There is an army growing under the command of a new Dark lord who goes under the name Darth Maul. It is rumoured he has Jedi powers and it is possible he is a full force user.  
  
"More and more people are turning, specifically force sensitives are targeted as they have more use. They are joining the army that will one day attack us in what may be the last battle." Qui-Gon fell silent looking at the bleak faces that gazed back at him.  
  
"Can the people who've turned be saved?"  
  
"I don't know. It is possible, but there are so many and so few Jedi left, I'm not sure that we would be enough to help them."  
  
"Forgetting Adi's prophecy you are." All eyes turned to the diminutive Jedi Master, "Fifteen years it has almost been, come soon they will."  
  
"We cannot put all our hopes on a prophesy, a chosen one." Qui-Gon listened to the argument go around and around, it sounded as if they had been through this before.  
  
"There is more."  
  
  
Ben avoided the two other units of soldiers and headed straight for the section that was set apart from the others. He knew why their fellow soldiers were shunning them and he was sorry for it. Looking around, Ben noticed all the little things that had changed since he was last here, reminding him of the length of time he had been away.  
  
/ I didn't mean to be away so long./ The situation with Bruck had not been what he had expected. He hadn't realised his stepbrother had friends in high, dark places./ I didn't think Bruck had fallen so far/  
  
Could he still be saved? Ben didn't know but in his eyes he had already tried and failed. What else was there left to do? With the thought of his stepbrother, the weight of his failures crashed down onto him, but there was little to be done about it except to fight the darkness the only way he knew how and that was within the ranks of the army.  
  
__________________________________________________________________  
  
"What more bad news is there, Qui-Gon?" Qui-Gon looked at his childhood friend, Mace Windu. Time had not been kind to either of them but Mace looked tired and weariness dulled his brown eyes.   
  
"It is of a more personal nature. As I was returning I was attacked by Shadow Warriors, I was unable to sense them. They are apt at using the Force and concealing themselves."  
  
"How did you escape?" General Woon spoke for the first time.  
  
"They attacked me because I was traveling with a man that one of their number, a man named Bruck, wanted. He challenged him and won. Bruck ordered our capture but it was halted by a hooded figure, he seemed very powerful and was definitely in charge. No one disobeyed him, so we left. It is possible he was Darth Maul, but I never saw his face."   
  
"Who is this companion you speak of?"  
  
"His name is Ben."  
  
"Can he be trusted?" Qui-Gon frowned at the man who spoke, the acting general had more or less ignored him throughout the meeting and now he was questioning him.  
  
"I trust him."  
  
"With all due respect Jedi Master Jinn, but you said yourself that you could not detect the shadow warriors, how do you know he is not one of them sent to infiltrate our resistance?" Qui-Gon could feel his anger rising, he did not like what the acting general was implying about Ben. Reminding himself of the code, the Jedi Master explained to the others about Ben, deliberately turning away from Ki'son.  
  
"He was a soldier in the Jedi's guard, I believe he has some Force sense, as he seemed to anticipate the Shadow Warriors' approach. There also seems to be a bond forming between us. I can't really explain it but we seem to be drawn to each other."  
  
"How meet him did you?"  
  
"I was on my way here when I felt an urging in the Force. I followed it and came upon his cabin in the middle of the Border Forest. We spent a couple of days together when his stepbrother Bruck returned. He attacked Ben so I brought him here. That is why Bruck and the Shadow Warriors attacked us."  
  
"Where is he now?"  
  
"Waiting out side. I thought if I got him here he could rejoin the army and find some kind of life again."  
  
"Talk more of this later we will, Padawan, but privately. Now we have other matters to discus."  
  
"Yes, I noticed the tension in the camp. What is going on?" Before Acting General Ki'son could object, Mace explained the situation.  
  
"About a year ago one of the army's generals left. He said he would return, but he remains missing. No one has been able to find him. The problem is that the company assigned to him refuse to be reassigned and when we try to bring in a new general, like Ki'son, they refuse to obey. We need them in the main army or as a guard unit. We are short on men but their loyalty to this missing general is unacceptable."  
  
"Soldiers are appointed posts in guard units because of their loyalty, Mace. You can not blame them for that."  
  
"I know, but for the moment all those troops sit out there waiting for him to return."  
  
"Did he say where he was going?"  
  
"Apparently he received news about his family and had to leave. He headed northwest into the Border Forest but no one has heard from him since. In all likely hood he is dead."  
  
"Believe him dead I do not, the best fighter we had he was. Promoted at a young age for a reason he was."  
  
"Yes I've heard of him, he is well known to the peasants and soldiers as a hero. What was his name?"  
  
"Obi-Wan Kenobi."  
  
"Very like you he is Qui-Gon, believe he could survive out there alone I do."  
  
"Then I wonder what happened to him."  
  
  
When he reached the other camp the faces around him became more familiar. He smiled as many scrambled to their feet, knocking over things in their haste to salute him. From the corner of his eye he saw Ensign Damy Ogter run on ahead to the main meeting area where a large fire burned all day long.  
  
/At least she will be expecting me./  
  
He continued his own leisurely pace to where he knew Lieutenant Riva, his aide and friend, awaited. He entered the large open area among the sea of tents, all present saluting, showing their respect to the estranged officer. Relief flowed around him, pouring from all those present. Soon it would spread to the rest of the camp as news of the general's return reached them.  
  
"We had just about given up on you."  
  
"Really?" skepticism was clear in Obi-Wan's voice, "Then why are you being avoided by the other soldiers?" Lt Riva casually smiled at one of her oldest friends. She had taken him under her wing fourteen years ago and now he was her commanding officer. She didn't begrudge him his success, there was no need, they were friends.  
  
"Because we didn't give up sooner." Obi-Wan returned the smile; he pulled her into his arms, emotions over welling both of them. They clung to each other for the briefest of moments, gathering their emotions before pulling apart. When they did Obi-Wan wore a mask of cool detachment.   
  
"Listen, Lieutenant I don't have time to explain now but I need my things." Realising that it was her commanding officer speaking and not her friend Riva snapped to attention.  
  
"Yes, Sir. They are in your tent."  
  
"My tent? Aren't you taking the loyalty thing a bit far?"  
  
"Yes, Sir." The role slipped a little, "We always knew you would return." Obi-Wan turned to those present addressing his men for the first time in a year.  
  
"I thank you all for your faith and I promise I will explain all that I can, but later. Right now I have business with the council." He nodded to his Lieutenant who turned and led him to a large round tent just off the meeting area.   
  
Everything he owned that he had left behind was in the tent, neatly put in their places by an unknown, caring hand. He turned to his companion.  
  
"You?" He didn't need to elaborate on his question.  
  
"Yes, it comforted me to have your things set out how you liked them as if you were going to return any moment. It made it easier to believe you were coming home." He moved over to the bed and pulled out a heavy wooden chest from underneath it. It was decorated with carvings of knights fighting, the detail of each person giving the chest life. There was a Jedi crescent carved onto the lid. He opened it to reveal his uniform and his weapons.   
  
"So... Where have you been?" the tone was casual but Obi-Wan could feel the emotion behind it. The desperate need to know. He pulled out his uniform, the black material of a general.  
  
"Attending to some family business."   
  
"That's all you're going to say? You can't leave for a year and give that as you only explanation. We... I deserve more." Obi-Wan shrugged into his jacket, his shoulders slumping with her words.  
  
"I know, Riva but there isn't time now, if you come with me to see the council I will sort out our unit's problem and then I'll explain everything, to everyone." There was hidden meaning that Riva picked up on instantly.  
  
"I get the feeling there is a specific person in that 'everyone'"  
  
"I met someone. I didn't tell him everything, I kind of left bits out."  
  
"Huh... like what?" Obi-Wan continued to dress, adding weapons to his attire.  
  
"Oh, like being a general." The tone was flippant and Obi-Wan wouldn't look at her, as he could imagine the look on her face. But when he did finally turn to see her, all he saw was sympathy.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's complicated, now pass me that bag." He pointed to the pack he had dropped when he had entered the tent. Riva did so and watched as Obi-Wan pulled out a large, long, dark brown, hooded cloak and put it on. When it was straightened out she saw the Jedi Brotherhood crescent on its breast.   
  
"Where did you get that?" shock coursed her speak out of turn and a little fear was evident in her voice.  
  
"It was my father's." He explained as he began unwrapping something long and metal from a blue, velvet cloth.   
  
"You have Jedi powers and you didn't tell me?" The fear remained, colouring her voice and the anger had been replaced by hurt, but that did nothing to diminish her curiosity. "What is that?"   
  
When revealed, the object was obviously a silver sword, but not just any sword. It was a Lightsaber, the weapon carried by the Jedi Sisters before they had been wiped out. Only one was known to still exist and that was carried by Qui-Gon Jinn.   
  
Lightsabers weren't like normal swords; they were stronger and almost impossible to break. The owner usually forged them, the Force sensitive pouring light into the metal as it took shape. When it was used during battle it shone, when the Force flowed around its owner giving it a holy hue. The Shadow warriors had something similar but instead of resonating light, their weapons radiated darkness and hate.   
  
"A Lightsaber."  
  
"Dare I ask?" Riva's voice was slightly breathless by her awe of the magnificent weapon. Obi-Wan spoke softly as he attached the saber to his belt.  
  
"It was my mother's." With that he left the tent with an irate Lieutenant at his heels.   
  
"You are a full Jedi and you didn't even bother telling me? Why?" Taking a deep breath to calm her self, she asked again with a less accusing tone. "Why, Obi-Wan?" He turned suddenly, confronting her question with a deep sadness etched on his face.  
  
"I can't explain now, but I needed to hide. Not even the council knew about it. Except Master Yoda."  
  
"Is this another one of those gaps you left in your story when you met this friend of yours?"  
  
"Yes. He is a Jedi too." Those were the last words he said to her before once again striding towards the Jedi council's tent, Lt. Riva matching every step.   
  
  
As the debate about what to do about the missing General flew around the room, Qui-Gon sat back, quietly feeling within the Force, tension of an important event about to take place.  
  
He was right.  
  
Two figures stood in the doorway, a woman in an army uniform with lieutenant tabs on her collar. She was tall and slender but was not lacking muscle. Instead of taking away from her femininity it only added to her beauty. Qui-Gon cast his eyes over the other, very familiar figure wearing a General's uniform underneath a Jedi robe and something silver attached to his belt caught his eye.  
  
A Lightsaber.  
  
The General stood for a matter of seconds before clearing his throat. Everyone else suddenly noticed the new arrivals.  
  
"Obi-Wan."  
  
So Ben was the General. Qui-Gon couldn't understand why he hadn't made the connection sooner, but he put those thoughts out of his mind to listen to Ben, no, Obi-Wan, talk.  
  
"My apologies, but I believe there is a matter I can clear up. I'm sure Master Jinn has already explained a little as to why I was detained."  
  
"Good to see you again it is, come, have a seat and speak to us you will." Obi-Wan moved further into the tent shadowed by the lieutenant. He sat down opposite Qui-Gon offering the other man a shy smile before he once again turned his attention to the council. Mace spoke then, with suspicion in his deep voice.   
  
"Where did you get that robe and Lightsaber? You show us disrespect by wearing clothes of the Brotherhood when you are not a Jedi."  
  
"I am a Jedi. My parents were both Jedi. I wear my mother's sword and my father's cloak as is my right."  
  
"How can this be? We have looked for full Jedi for a long time and all this time there was one among us."  
  
"True it is, started his training I did. Look what's in front of us we often don't, especially if found the person does not wish to be." Yoda gave Obi-Wan and understanding look.  
  
"You knew?"  
  
"Yes, saw his parents in him immediately I did, has their strengths he does. Son of Orrora and Xanatos Obi-Wan is, needed to hide he did. His stepfather married Orrora to produce a full Jedi so he could turn the child to the dark side and use its power. Orrora dies before she conceived. Lucky for us she did."  
  
"Yes, and now my stepfather is dead."  
  
"Sure you are?"  
  
With Ethes K'arn you can never be sure, but I believe he has passed on, as Bruck believed."  
  
"Ah yes, heard I did. Nothing you could do?"  
  
"No. I could not escape him as he has become powerful like his father. Master Jinn freed me and for that I will be eternally grateful." Qui-Gon studied Obi-Wan and noticed all the small changes in the youth. The scar within him remained, but it was no longer an open wound giving back the life to his soul that the dark part of his stepbrother took.   
  
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything, Qui-Gon but I was unsure of what you would say, I was afraid you would leave me alone again." Qui-Gon leaned forward, gazing deep into Obi-Wan's eyes, his own turning a misty shade of blue.  
  
"I promised I wouldn't." He whispered. His voice was a low caress that only the young Jedi heard. Obi-Wan shivered from the inside, the fear he had carried for days lifted without a trace as he fell into the blue eyes of the Jedi Master. He leaned forward too, wanting to reach out and touch the other man.  
  
"Now I know you were telling me the truth, thank you." Both had spent so long alone that the realisation that there was another like them who loved them was almost inconceivable. Yet it had happened and the emptiness that never seemed to be gone was filled.  
  
"Alone you are not," The ancient Master seemed to speak their very thoughts. "Managed to find the only other you have. Take over his training you will Qui-Gon. A warrior he already is. Needs to learn the currents of the Force now. The two Jedi warriors there will be. Stronger you will make each other, too old am I to keep up with an apprentice. Need each other you do. End this meeting now we will, other matters can wait till morning." Yoda left the tent and the other occupants soon followed until only Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan and Riva were left.  
  
"Master, this is Lt. Riva. Lieutenant this is Master Jinn." Qui-Gon tried not to show the thrill he felt at hearing his new apprentice call him Master.   
  
"Please, call me Qui-Gon, Lieutenant."  
  
"Only if you call me Riva."  
  
"It would be an honour." The Jedi Master bowed to the young woman, offering his respect.  
  
"Now that that's over with do you think there is any where I could get some food?" Riva looked at Obi-Wan before bursting into laughter.  
  
"Some things never change, do they General?"  
  
"But I'm hungry." He reached out taking Qui-Gon's hand. "And some things have changed."  
  
"You are right, it's good to see you happy." He gave her a huge grin that he had found difficult to suppress.  
  
"Thank you." A faint blush coloured his cheeks at the statement, "I will see you later Lieutenant." Riva took the dismissal as a hint to get lost. She had known Obi-Wan for years and was not offended by his words. Bowing to them, she disappeared into the writhing mass of the camp.  
  
"Ben? Or do I call you Obi-Wan?"  
  
"Either, whichever you prefer." They smiled at each other, basking in the light of their love.  
  
"I hear Generals get their own accommodations."  
  
"That is true."  
  
"I don't suppose you would be willing to share with a shelterless Jedi Master?" Suddenly the air of humour and the joyful tone left Obi-Wan and he grew uncomfortable.  
  
"I'm sorry, Qui-Gon but I do not believe I am ready for that stage in our relationship." He didn't look at the older man, as he spoke not wanting to see the disappointment in Qui-Gon's eyes. But the Jedi Master's hand came up to his face tilting his chin back so he looked into the face of compassion.  
  
"I will not push you Obi-Wan and that is not the reason I wish to be with you." Obi-Wan tried to say something but he was hesitant, afraid of sounding foolish. "Do you believe me?" Obi-Wan nodded unable to form the words. " Then what is it, my Obi-Wan?"  
  
"At night I feel the Darkness all around me, reaching out. If I do sleep, I am plagued by dreams of pain and suffering." Obi-Wan's voice was barely a whisper. "When I lie awake, alone, I can still see his face, hear his voice and feel his touch." Qui-Gon's heart wept for his apprentice's pain.  
  
"I will stay with you and protect you from the dark if you wish safety in my arms. And never fear, it will never go further until you are ready."  
  
"Thank you." They turned together and like Riva, disappeared among the hundreds of people that were the Jedi council's army camp.   
  
  
  
The night closed in on the group of soldiers, threatening to consume all light in its complete darkness, but then the stars shone down offering light and reminding all of the power of light over dark and that there was hope.   
  
Obi-Wan was in his tent, so he could not see the stars so he found no solace in their presence. He could feel the Darkness of the world seeping out of the boundaries and back into the land they had won back through war and bloodshed. Night was when it was most powerful. Night was its domain. When feelings of despair were strongest. It fed on uncertainties like a leech, gaining strength and power over the suffering human souls.   
  
The young General lay alone in his bed. Qui-Gon was with Master Yoda and had yet to return to his side. He ached inside from the Jedi Master absence. Now that he had found his light, the dark seemed that much worse when he was gone. Words of hate whispered across his mind, imaginary or real, they still brought fear to the bold soldier.  
  
/Please Qui-Gon, come back./ As if hearing him, Qui-Gon came through the tent flap. He glanced over at the lone figure huddled beneath the covers of the bed, saw the slight shoulders as they shivered, but not from the cold. He crossed the small distance that lay between them and sat next to Obi-Wan.  
  
"Beloved?" as soon as the name left his lips he found his arms full with a warm muscular body. He pulled Obi-Wan closer. "I'm sorry, I should have been here sooner."  
  
"Not your fault. You're here now. I missed you."  
  
"I missed you too." Obi-Wan pulled back a little to look at his face.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Oh yes. Now lets get you back into bed. It's late and I find I am exhausted from our ride." Obi-Wan nodded, pulling back, allowing Qui-Gon room to remove his boots, cloak and outer leggings and tunics. Once removed, Qui-Gon laid down beside Obi-Wan who instantly snuggled down beside him, seeking contact and warmth.  
  
"Love you." Obi-Wan muttered before he finally let go of consciousness, trusting Qui-Gon to protect his soul from the scratching claws that grabbed at him from beyond the abyss of night.   
  
Qui-Gon lay with Obi-Wan held tightly in his arms, taking comfort in his presence. As the previous day's journey finally caught up with him, he found it impossible to stay awake and soon fell into a dreamless sleep with his beloved shielded in his arms. 


	5. Chapter 4- Two Jedi Warriors

Chapter 4- Two Jedi Warriors.  
  
Obi-Wan woke with the warm contentment of waking up in the arms of his love. The loneliness had all but gone since he had met Qui-Gon and he also felt he had finally found himself and shown it to the world. He was a fighter, a soldier but he was also a Jedi, a man of honour and light. He owed so much to the man that lay slumbering by his side. He hoped he was capable of the love Qui-Gon deserved.   
  
He had been shut away so long, deep within himself, it seemed impossible to share himself with another, but he would. He would do almost anything for Qui-Gon. He laid his head on the Jedi Master's chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heart.  
  
"Mine beats for him," he whispered to know one but the Force. He lay like that for some time before Qui-Gon began to stir, his body reacting to the growing light, waking his mind from the fuzzy haze of sleep. He blinked away the tiredness and looked down into eyes of jade. The level of trust he beheld in them filled him with awe, that this soul of light who had been mistreated by those closest to him had turned to him so completely. He would fear it if he didn't know its nature.  
  
"Morning, love." He wasn't gifted with a verbal reply but instead a smile that outshone the light of the heavens and a wave of love through the Force that took his breath away. They rose from bed quickly, ready to begin Obi-Wan's lessons in the Force, but there was still much left to learn.  
  
Qui-Gon led Obi-Wan away from the camp, wanting to draw him away from the distractions there, and his responsibilities as a general and leader. Atop a small rise was a copse with a clearing at its centre. The camp was still within view through the trees and ahead of them the Border Forest could be seen. In contrast to the noise of the camp and the darkness of the forest, the clearing amongst the few trees was calm and peaceful. Neither presence penetrated its surface and within the safe cocoon they knelt together.  
  
Qui-Gon watched as his new apprentice slipped into a meditative trance as he had been taught many years ago. The Jedi Master began hi own meditation and soon was connected deeply with his Padawan. Through their bond he began teaching Obi-Wan of the Force, the gifts it gave and the power it offered. They knelt among the living things in that place of peace and learnt of each other and their place within the web of the Force's influence.  
  
Qui-Gon found Obi-Wan a joy to teach, as the younger man was eager to learn and picked things up quickly. Between lessons they attended council meetings to discuss strategy and plans. Soon after General Kenobi's return, General Woon pulled up camp and went to rendezvous with one of the larger companies under his command. The army was slowly moving south before winter came. Soon the council would head south also, but they were needed to co-ordinate the effort and there was still much to be done.  
  
The days passed in a flurry of activity. Winter, the season of the Dark, with its cold bringing death in the form of hunger, rapidly approached. All the Light that had taken three quarters of a year to gain would be lost to the Dark again in a matter of months. Despite the looming dead line of the changing seasons, Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan found time to return to the clearing everyday. Not only to practice Obi-Wan's lessons, but also to just be together. It was in the third week that the lessons changed, the day had come for the Jedi Master to teach his apprentice the power of the Jedi's weapon, the power of a Lightsaber.   
  
General Kenobi was one of the best fighters in the army, but Qui-Gon was a Jedi Master and the Jedi Sisters had been the best warriors for centuries. Qui-Gon had their knowledge and now he would pass it on to another of his kind. He would teach Obi-Wan to be a Jedi Warrior and he knew Obi-Wan would surpass him in skill. It came naturally to him; the ebb and flow of battle spoke to the young General, but instead of making the young man war hungry, it made him more desperate for peace. He could feel war so he understood it deeply. Death and bloodshed were part of his being, causing him to loathe it and yearn for its end.   
  
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan squared off against each other, Obi-Wan using his mother's Lightsaber for the first time. Its weight and grip seemed to fit perfectly. It was right in his hands. They began to spar, and though Obi-Wan held his own against the Jedi Master, he was no match to Qui-Gon's grace. He fought harder, his opponent responding by stepping up the pace.   
  
The Jedi Master slipped into a conscious meditation and began weaving the Force around him. His Lightsaber began to shine silver with a hint of green from the connection to the living Force. Obi-Wan's eyes widened as he felt the change in the metal, seeing the change made him gasp in surprise. In two moves Qui-Gon disarmed him, his mother's Lightsaber at his feet. His Master smiled at him from the other side of his own weapon, the eerie glow fading away as its wielder let the Force go. The sword once again looked normal.   
  
"What was that?" Obi-Wan was out of breath, his body fighting to bring oxygen to his overtaxed muscles.  
  
"That is how a Jedi fights."  
  
"Show me?"  
  
They began again, but this time Qui-Gon guided his apprentice through their bond, helping him to reach the right level of trance; from the mind's normal perception into that of the Force. They fought, becoming faster and faster, both men submerged deeply within the Force. In a move that surprised both of them, Obi-Wan flipped over his opponent's head, the Force carrying him. Obi-Wan landed behind Qui-Gon but stumbled backwards. The Jedi Master turned quickly and defeated his Padawan by using his backward stumble to push him over. Obi-Wan fell to the ground more surprised by his acrobatics than his defeat.   
  
"What happened, Master?" The younger man made no move to stand, he just sat where he had fallen, looking closely at his weapon.  
  
"You're beginning to find your own natural style within the Force. It may take some time to develop fully. However I get the feeling you'll be a very energetic fighter." Qui-Gon held his hand out to his fallen companion. "Shall we try that again?"  
  
Obi-Wan smiled.  
  
"It would be my pleasure." They bowed to each other showing their respect for the other's skill and began the deadly but beautiful dance again.   
  
  
It had been another hard day of lessons. Obi-Wan's ability was growing but he was not progressing as his Master thought he should. There was a wall in him that he seemed unable to scale. Qui-Gon feared that the floodgates of the Force within his apprentice would open all at once and that Obi-Wan would be overwhelmed by years of suppressed Force ability.  
  
The Jedi Master lay awake, staring into the dark long after Obi-Wan had fallen asleep in his arms. It was amazing how their closeness felt so right. He cherished these moments of silence where he could absorb the comfort of holding his beloved. His concerns for the young Padawan persisted at the back of his mind still. He finally fell asleep only a few hours from dawn.   
  
  
  
Light, the clang of metal as sword met, the scent of blood and death, a whirlwind of sounds, smells and visions assaulted his senses, drowning him in their clarity. He couldn't escape, all he could do was scream.  
  
  
  
Qui-Gon awoke with a start, something was wrong. He turned to Obi-Wan, but found himself alone in bed. He was instantly wide awake, throwing off the blankets, he jumped out of bed to finally see all the loose objects in the tent levitating. He turned slowly back around to face the bed. Obi-Wan hovered a meter in the air, his face contorted in pain. As the young General's nightmare continued and he became more distressed, the objects that floated in the air responding to his unconscious command began to fly around the tent. They crashed into each other creating a tornado of debris, at its centre Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon.   
  
"Obi-Wan, wake up." The Jedi got no response from his Padawan.   
  
/Obi-Wan, please./  
  
The mind to mind contact shocked the distraught Jedi back to reality. All at once the flying debris plummeted to the ground. The General landed on the bed with a choked sob.  
  
"Obi-Wan?" Obi-Wan turned away from his Master, curling into a protective fetal position. He began to shake from the shock. "Obi-Wan what did you see?"  
  
"I... I don't know." The horse whisper was loud in the deafening silence. "I don't remember much except the pain." Obi-Wan seemed to curl further into himself.  
  
"Shh, My love." The Jedi Master returned to bed, pulling the younger man into his arms. "Let me comfort you."  
  
They lay in bed together, neither speaking, just listening to the other's heartbeat and the sound of them breathing. In the morning nothing was said. Obi-Wan was reluctant to talk and Qui-Gon, unwilling to push, didn't ask. They began that day as they had all the others; they headed for their little clearing away from the camp. It was a place where the living Force flourished, where Obi-Wan could learn in peace and it was a place he felt safe.  
  
  
A bright light blinded Obi-Wan, leaving him disorientated. As the glow faded he found himself in a battlefield, swords clashing around him, fighting for an unknown price. He stood among its violent roar, a lone figure in cream immune and separated from the events that transpired. The masked warriors were winning; they seemed to wield an ungodly power and skill. Countless numbers fell creating a river of red. Atop a hill stood a man in robes similar to his own. He was not part of the fight, it was not his place or his skill, a Jedi Brother stood alone watching.   
  
From behind him four riders came, each carrying sharpened weapons, Obi-Wan tried to cry out in warning but found himself frozen, his breath court on his lips. The horsemen rode up to the Jedi Brother but his death did not come, instead he was willingly pulled up onto the back of one of the beasts and carried away. This time Obi-Wan was able to cry out. Betrayal, that Jedi had sentenced his own people to death, their blood was on his hands.  
  
Across the battlefield a woman with silver hair went down.   
  
  
"Obi-Wan, are you alright?"  
  
"Qui-Gon?" Bewilderment stained Obi-Wan's voice. He lay on the ground staring up into a clear blue sky, the older Jedi knelt by his side.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I don't know, I was suddenly somewhere else." Qui-Gon looked concerned, he pulled his apprentice to his feet, looking over him for any signs of injury.  
  
"You blacked out, are you sure you're okay?"  
  
"Yes, I believe so." Obi-Wan's gaze seemed to go inward for a moment, he spoke as if to himself. "It seemed so real though."   
  
"What did you see?" The older man watched his pupil carefully, noting every tense muscle.  
  
"A battle." The words were almost dreamlike as if he was still there, seeing it all again away from Qui-Gon.  
  
"Why don't you get something to eat while I talk to Yoda?" The Jedi Master suggested, wanting to ground Obi-Wan back in the now. The young general walked into the camp, his gait tired and stiff. Qui-Gon watched him go then turned in the opposite direction to seek out Master Yoda.   
  
  
  
Yoda sat within the small copse that was away from the camp, and when Qui-Gon approached, he knew his master had been waiting for him.  
  
"Master?"  
  
"Yes, Qui-Gon?" when the younger Jedi Master made no move to speak further, Yoda prompted him, "Have questions, you do?"  
  
"Yes, Master."  
  
"Then sit, and then try and answer them I will." Qui-Gon gracefully sat on the forest floor before his aging master. Unsure of where to begin he just began to speak.  
  
"I have concerns, Master about Obi-Wan. He had a vision of the past."  
  
"Strange this is for one so old, suppressed his power a long time he has, hid it to protect his future. Stopped the visions from surfacing earlier it did."   
  
"I understand that Master, but now that he is free, I am afraid that the visions will come quickly and overwhelm him, and I am afraid I won't be able to save him."  
  
"If happens this does, your place to save him it is not. A test for him, perhaps."  
  
"But he doesn't understand what it is that is happening."  
  
"Then tell him we must, warning and advice will be enough to save him if the need arises. Meditate with me Qui-Gon, find your centre again before we speak to the boy. Needs calm he does, follow your example he will." Led by his Master, the Jedi Warrior slipped into a light meditation, reaffirming his connection to the living Force and his centre. He let go of his fears for Ben and himself, offering Obi-Wan his steadiness as a foundation.   
  
  
Obi-Wan sat alone in his tent, seeing again and again the face of the Jedi Brother who had betrayed his own people. The slaughter of the army and the Queen filled his eyes until he saw nothing else. Night gathered around him and still he remained motionless, the twilight adding shadows of its own.  
  
Yoda and Qui-Gon found him there later, when night had finally cast out all light, alone in the dark.   
  
"Obi-Wan?" Qui-Gon whispered to him, kneeling by his chair.  
  
"Yes, Qui-Gon?" Obi-Wan didn't look at him, he remained staring ahead seeing something that lay beyond the physical.  
  
"Obi-Wan, we need to speak with you." The Jedi apprentice nodded but said nothing. Sighing, his Master sat down on the other chair while Master Yoda made himself comfortable on the bed.  
  
"Obi-Wan, what you experienced was a vision of the beginning. All Jedi Brothers have them. They usually begin when they are very young and as time goes on they learn to control them. We believe that because you hid your gifts so long that the visions never surfaced, at least not until now. They will only get worse, Obi-Wan, but you must remember they aren't real; they are merely shadows of the past. Do you understand?" The Jedi General didn't answer or make any other sign that he had heard. "Obi-Wan?"  
  
"I understand, Master. If you will excuse me, I need some air." He left the two Jedi Masters alone, lost within his own memories and those of others.   
  
"His trial this is, nothing more there is for you to do."  
  
  
When the blinding light filled Obi-Wan's vision this time he was more prepared and he understood what it was. After his vision cleared he looked at everything, noticing every detail, scribing it into his mind.  
  
The sun was shining, he was in a little village with only about a dozen huts. The land around him was full of crops, the villagers working in them tending to their plentiful harvest. Children laughed and played. There was no Darkness. Travellers and strangers were welcomed and treated as one of their own.   
  
In the space of seconds, Obi-Wan watched years go by. He watched the children grow and have their own families. These people were too innocent and unknowing, never expecting the attack that came out of the night. Masked horsemen, carrying torches, set alight the crops and homes. Women screamed as they watched their husbands and sons slaughtered and then cried out when they themselves were ruthlessly attacked. When dawn came there was no one left, just smouldering ash and blood.  
  
Obi-Wan watched, knowing this had been the beginning, the way the Dark had made its presence known a little at a time, slowly gaining power. The world shimmered and dissolved, becoming instead a larger village some miles away. Instead of the Light, fear had spread its claws and dug into the planet's soul. Travellers and those in need were turned away, people huddled together, away from what might wait outside. But the Dark was becoming bolder and soon there was no longer safety in numbers.   
  
Slowly, fear and hate reached out, poisoning the peoples' souls. Many turned to the Dark, seeking to join its army, hungry for power. Again the world shimmered and Obi-Wan found himself in a small hut with a lone figure lying on a crude mattress. Like the women of his first vision she had silver hair. She was a Jedi Sister, and she was dying. She was the first Jedi victim of the murderous darkness. Its poison seeped into the Jedi bloodline and in years to come it led to the end of their kind.   
  
The Jedi Queen raised her arms, leading her people into battle with the masked men sometimes winning, but often falling back, giving up more land. And then by chance a Jedi Brother found the whereabouts of the Dark Lord. The Queen, in a last effort to return the Light mounted an attack, but somehow the enemy had been expecting them. They never knew why the battle had failed, but Obi-Wan understood. The Jedi Brother who had learnt of the Dark Lord's location was familiar to him. It was the same man he had seen atop that hill, riding off with his co-conspirators.   
  
The Dark now had a firm foothold and the Jedi Queen had been killed in combat, her heir coming to power only to carry on the war. Obi-Wan closed his eyes against the agony of all he was learning. When he opened them he was in a cave bathed in firelight. Jedi Sisters and Brothers stood in a large circle, the new queen stood slightly forward. She began her spell, weaving words and a power unreachable to all others into a summons. The fire flickered then grew bigger, its flames taking on a blue hue. Amid the flames a face appeared ghostly in complexion. The Queen spoke,  
  
"My lord, we summon you for help, our world is ending. Help us, your loyal subjects. You bestowed the power of magic to our kind many thousands of years ago to help peace in our world and now that peace is threatened." The lips of the apparition did not move but a voice was heard in the large cavern.  
  
/Out of the Darkness of evil will come a warrior pure of heart, strength of many and a will of iron. He will come to raise a Light of immense power that will conquer the Dark. He will come when he has almost been forgotten and almost all hope is lost. I can do nothing to help you, but this is what I see in your world's future./ The endless eyes of the being stared at the Queen. /Go now, Jedi, your future is certain as you know it to be but there will come a time when the inevitability of the Dark is no longer true. Go now and let your kind continue the fight until that time comes to pass./   
  
The blue light faded from the cave and once again the gathered Jedi were bathed in the soft glow of natural firelight. A voice from the crowed called out,  
  
"What do we do now?"  
  
"The only thing we can do," the Queen said as she turned to them, "We fight."  
  
Skirmishes, battles and fights of years gone by passed before Obi-Wan's eyes in a matter of minutes. The constant struggle to maintain all the light they still possessed continued until he was brought to a time, hundreds of years after the beginning. A moment only fourteen years before his present, when a younger Qui-Gon watched his bond mate create a prophecy of her own that would fulfil a god's promise. He watched the last Sister die, Qui-Gon sitting with a child cradled in his arms and then he watched him disappearing into the darkest night.  
  
  
"Qui-Gon."  
  
Night was all around him, the only light coming from the stars and the camp's small fires. The world was as it had been when he had stepped out of his tent. The confusion he had felt after his first vision was no longer present but now he needed to speak to his Master.   
  
He headed back, following his sense of his Master, to the Jedi council's tent. Inside he found Qui-Gon, Yoda and the rest of the council.  
  
"Come in, Obi-Wan. Tell us what you saw you will."  
  
"Yes Master Yoda." General Kenobi sat at the foot of the table. "I saw the beginning, I saw the final battle and the god's promise that followed and I saw Queen Adi's prophecy."  
  
"You couldn't have seen that battle." Mace looked angry.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"No Jedi ever has, there seemed to be a powerful spell on that moment of time." The anger faded from the Jedi's voice as he explained a hint of weariness replaced it.  
  
"But I saw it, I saw one of our own betray us." The whole Jedi council sat shocked, though Master Yoda seemed to be the only one unaffected.  
  
"Late is it, tired we all are, talk more another time we shall." As everyone filed out the ancient Master remained behind, his eyes never leaving the younger of the two Jedi Warriors as they left. With no one to hear he said, "Know what you are, I do young one."  
  
  
"Qui-Gon?"  
  
"Yes, Obi-Wan?" he turned to his apprentice who seemed hesitant to speak.  
  
"I saw your son, I saw Anakin." Qui-Gon didn't answer straight away, finally he asked.  
  
"When?"  
  
"The night Adi died, I'm sorry."  
  
"It's alright, Obi-Wan. Get some sleep, it's been a long day."  
  
"Stay with me?"  
  
"Always." They lay silently together for a long time, Obi-Wan taking solace from the horrors he'd seen in his Master's calm.  
  
"I saw everything." Minutes passed before the younger man spoke again. "I saw everything from the time it began until Adi's death, but I didn't see the time between her gift to the world and where we are now. Time is approaching, Qui-Gon and I don't see anything that could help us or our future." The Jedi Warrior couldn't answer his Padawan. For years the Jedi Brothers had sought visions of the one who would one day become there Chosen One but like the vision of the lost battle, his identity remained elusive and out of reach.  
  
"Go to sleep, Obi-Wan. Think no more of these things tonight."  
  
"Yes, Master." But Obi-Wan didn't close his eyes, he didn't sink into the oblivion of sleep. He remained awake by Qui-Gon's side, sifting through his memories of all he had seen. As he thought, Qui-Gon lay peacefully beside him, content to just be with his beloved and to live in the moment. But as ever, Obi-Wan looked to the future, trying to find some clue as to the out come, of a five hundred year old promise and a prophecy foretold on a death bed.  
  
Qui-Gon's thoughts weren't as peaceful as Obi-Wan believed. He, too, was thinking of his apprentice's vision. How was it possible he had managed to see the lost battle when hundreds of Jedi Brothers before him had failed in their attempts to bring that failed battle before their eyes?  
  
/Was it real?/  
  
Qui-Gon believed it had been, but the explanation why seemed to be beyond his grasp. Something obvious but unimaginable to the Jedi Master was the answer. They continued Obi-Wan's training in the morning but the Jedi Padawan's mind kept slipping back to the past. He seemed unable to move past it. After several failed attempts of slipping into a meditative state, Obi-Wan's Master decided to try something else.  
  
"Obi-Wan I want you to sink into a light mediation and I want you to let me guide you."  
  
"Yes, Master." Obediently the General of an army allowed the Jedi Warrior into his mind. Qui-Gon wanted to help his Padawan, as he believed he had lost his centre from the experience of the vision and fear was stopping him from finding it again. Tentatively the Jedi Brother stepped into the younger man's mind but he did not find what he had been expecting. Jedi Brothers were usually very strong in the living Force, this connection offers them the calmness and the ability to help others in need with words of council. The only connection to the unifying Force was through their visions but in Obi-Wan it was different.   
  
The young Jedi had his centre but it was different from Qui-Gon's. It didn't offer the gentleness of the moment with everything else in the background; the Living Force was drowned out by the Unifying Force. Qui-Gon reached out to touch it, and when he did, he found a very familiar trace.   
  
/It can't be./ he reached within himself and found the same trace of a presence. /Beloved./ the Jedi Master pulled himself from Obi-Wan's mind. He opened his eyes to see the younger man before him in a new light. Eyes of the deepest forest green gazed back at him.  
  
"Qui-Gon?"  
  
"I must go, Padawan." Without another word he stood and all but fled from the other's presence. Fear and confusion swallowed his mind. He realised he was deserting the boy, but could not speak of his suspicions yet. He stumbled blindly on, seeking out his Master.  
  
  
  
Obi-Wan remained in his place below a tall oak tree, he could feel its life pulsing within it but his connection was not as deep as Qui-Gon's and it offered little comfort. Instead of the life in the tree, he felt its years, both past and future. In its own way this offered comfort to the confused young man, but his soul was like fire and it burned.  
  
  
"You knew?"  
  
"Suspected I did, when years ago he arrived with an army unit. Ororra son he is, our Queen's sister. Who better than a blood relative? Picked him for another reason she also did."   
  
"Why?"  
  
"Get to that we will. Tell me what you have felt you must."  
  
"When I was returning to the council I was drawn along a particular path by the Force. I found Obi-Wan at the end of it. When I first spoke with him I felt a familiar presence brush my mind, I never thought it could have been Obi-Wan. I felt it a number of times and just now I saw inside of him as I have seen inside of Adi. They are so alike, just as Adi and I are."  
  
"Share a soul you do, meant for each other you were. Picked someone you would love Adi did. Meant to be together you always were."  
  
"After all these years... I miss her still but when I'm with him it's even better, but he cannot be the one to save us."  
  
"Doubt it still you do? Nearly fifteen years it has been since the prophecy was made. Time will begin soon, Qui-Gon, the one of prophecy and promise will come."  
  
"But, Obi-Wan is... I..."  
  
"Blinds you love does, like the Dark you believed Anakin to be the Chosen One. The last full Jedi born he may be and Adi's son but makes him the chosen one it does not. Picked Obi-Wan she did not just for us, but for you also. Look beneath the presence of Adi you should. Bonded you already are through Adi's soul, but question how she found him I do not. Know I do, so should you."  
  
"What are you suggesting?"  
  
"A link there already was, Qui-Gon, traced it back to him she did. In doing so ensured you would meet your soulmate because seek the one you would. Remember do you what the god promised?" Yoda waited for his old Padawan's affirmative nod. "Mention he did not then event before the beginning of time. Vague he was. Two Jedi warriors we now have, ask yourself why you should."  
  
Qui-Gon spent much of that day in meditation. He feared going back across the bond he shared with Obi-Wan, he feared that Yoda was right, but then, what if he was wrong? Both coursed the Jedi Master disturbing thoughts and now he was beginning to question other things too. He didn't see much of Obi-Wan that evening, as the boy hid himself away in his own meditations and fears. Both needed the other to answer their questions but they both held back. Qui-Gon knew he should be helping his Padawan through this difficult time, but Yoda's revelations echoed within his mind. He returned to the tent late to find his apprentice already asleep. He lay down beside him, once again surprised by the peace the other man's presence offered even in sleep.  
  
/Perhaps there is more to us that what I let myself believe./  
  
Qui-Gon found his centre and the maelstrom of emotions faded almost all together. Everything seemed much clearer to him with the source of his questions lying by his side. He curled up next to his love and drifted into a dreamless sleep. Beside him, Obi-Wan's dreams became still, the night terrors fading back into his subconscious as he was once more protected by his Master and Beloved. Together they slept the night through.   
  
Qui-Gon left early the next morning, still trying to put all his thoughts together so he would be ready for all his student's questions. Obi-Wan woke up as he has fallen asleep, alone. He donned his robes and set out to find his first Master, who had helped him when he was a boy.   
  
  
"Master Yoda, how is it the Brothers are only able to see the past of Darkness?" Yoda and Obi-Wan sat together within the little copse, the sun shining down through the trees creating shafts of light even in the bright light of day.  
  
"Before the dark the gift of prophecy the Jedi Brothers had, and when the Darkness came, poisoned the land it did but not just that. Poisoned our Sisters' bodies, it did but untouched the Brotherhood was not. Poisoned our gift was. Prophecy passed down the bloodline was not, turned into memories of death it did until see only the beginning of the Dark and when time all but stopped. See nothing before it, no Light could be seen nor the future. Blinded we were, unable to see what may come, so like the people our hope was taken.   
  
"Even now, more than the land is poisoned, young Obi-Wan. Its soul poisoned also it is. Purged the evil must be from the magic, the Force and all our lives. Leave the Darkness must. Hope we need, knew this Adi did years ago, gave herself she did, hope we now have, Obi-Wan, in you. Knew she was fulfilling a god's promise she did not, but sure of it I am." The most wise of the Jedi Brothers peered at his companion seeing more than most.   
  
"Spoken to you Qui-Gon hasn't." Yoda gave much away in his tone of voice, but Obi-Wan thought he heard frustration hidden in its gravely texture.   
  
"About what, Master?"  
  
"Your Master's doubts are his own folly, Obi-Wan." In a quiet voice that seemed reluctant to give up its secret he said, "The Chosen One you are."  
  
"Master Yoda!" Both Jedi turned in surprise to the owner of the voice, as Qui-Gon Jinn, Jedi Warrior, stood staring angrily at his Master. "Obi-Wan, Riva asked me to find you, you are needed back at the camp."  
  
"Master..."  
  
"Go, Obi-Wan, I'll find you later." The Jedi Padawan gave both Masters a surreptitious glance before disappearing back through the trees.   
  
"Padawan, come sit." Yoda was sorry he had betrayed his old apprentice's trust, but the boy needed to know. Qui-Gon made no move to sit with his Master and remained standing where he was.  
  
"Why did you tell him that?"  
  
"The truth it is, came to me for answers he did when none you would give him."  
  
"I was waiting for the right moment. You had no right, we don't even know if he is the one." Qui-Gon's voice seemed to plead with his Master, but Yoda could do nothing to change what was.  
  
"Love and fear for him blinds you, Qui-Gon. Clear your sight you should. Have something of yours I do, time to pass it on it is. Know the truth your mind does, but your heart is reluctant to believe. Our wait is over, Padawan, let go of that fear you can. Come, I will give you what was always meant to be his."  
  
  
Qui-Gon held the wrapped parcel close to his chest. The tattered material had kept the object beneath safe for many years. It had belonged to a great leader, and after her death Qui-Gon had given it to Yoda for safekeeping. Its presence had been a constant reminder of his loss until he had passed it on to his Master, and now he was passing it onto someone who could use it. He walked across the army camp in search of Obi-Wan.   
  
Qui-Gon entered their clearing to find Obi-Wan kneeling in its centre. He seemed at peace and his inner self was calm. Slowly, the rocks that lay scattered around him began to rise. One at first, but quickly, more joined it. With each success Obi-Wan's confidence grew and with it, so did the size of the objects he chose to levitate.  
  
As if sensing his Master's presents for the first time he gently lay the stone back on the earth exactly where he had lifted them up from. Smiling he opened his eyes.  
  
"Well done, Padawan."  
  
"Thank you, Master." There was an uncomfortable silence when both remembered Qui-Gon's anger earlier that day.  
  
"Is everything alright at the camp? Riva seemed a bit anxious." Obi-Wan smiled very slightly remembering his Lieutenant's rant on the state of everything and how she may as well give up now. It was a conversation they had had many times over the years, with different things setting her off, but it always ended the same. General Kenobi won and Riva had gone back to what she had been having problems, with feeling better and gotten it done.  
  
"Yes, everything is fine. What's that?" Obi-Wan's curiosity had been caught by the strange parcel his Master had been carrying the moment he had opened his eyes. Wrapped in a filthy cloth, it appeared worthless, but the way Qui-Gon protected it with his body suggested its priceless value.  
  
"This is a gift for you." He walked toward the kneeling general and held it out to him. Obi-Wan took it gently, understanding the importance of the moment. He held the object for a moment feeling the rough material that covered it. He looked at Qui-Gon and then unravelled the package. Beneath the shabby wrapping was a beautifully bound leather book. Its pages tipped with shimmering gold, and on its cover was the crest of the Jedi.  
  
"What is it?" Obi-Wan's voice was hushed, awed by the exquisite book.  
  
"It was Adi's. I want you to have it."  
  
"Adi's? I couldn't."  
  
"Please, Obi-Wan." Obi-Wan still seemed reluctant, but he didn't argue anymore. "Open it."   
  
Carefully Obi-Wan turned the cover. The first page was gloriously decorated, the border a mass of colours and lines blended together for a pattern of beauty. The writing flowed in curves and sweeps written by hand hundreds of years ago. It read:  
  
Book of Shadows of the Jedi Sisterhood.  
  
Obi-Wan could do nothing but stare.  
  
"I can't take this, it is meant for the Jedi's eyes only and I am only a Padawan."  
  
"Obi-Wan, all the Sisters are dead, we need someone to carry us on."  
  
"No, save it for the One."  
  
"I did, I have."  
  
"No, Qui-Gon I am not the One." The Jedi Master could understand Obi-Wan's denial, but time was approaching and they needed to be ready.  
  
"Obi-Wan, our connection goes beyond fate, it is part sorcery and part the Force. Just try, please." Obi-Wan looked at him, fear in his eyes, but the desperation on the other man's face spurred him to act. He opened the book at random and found a spell on mist and read it through.   
  
/Aim high./  
  
Obi-Wan settled himself down as he would for meditating. He then reached out not only with the Force but also with the part of himself that made him human, his soul. He closed his eyes and tried to weave his consciousness into the world, asking it to do his will. He tried for a long time urging the effect he desired, visualising it within himself and projecting it onto the world.  
  
"It's not working Qui-Gon, and it won't ever. I'm sorry." He could barely look at his Master as he rose and left the clearing.   
  
  
Qui-Gon watched as his apprentice closed his eyes and sank into a light meditation. Through the bond, he could feel Obi-Wan reach out to the world in the same way Adi had once done and in a way that no one else could.  
  
He held his breath and waited.  
  
He looked around him but saw no change; the clearing was as it had been, but when he looked with the living Force he felt a subtle change. A difference that was not entirely natural. Something had changed and was continuing to do so, but then it faded away again to nothing.  
  
"It's not working Qui-Gon, and it won't ever. I'm sorry." The Jedi Master did nothing to stop Obi-Wan leaving, he picked up the book and carried it back to their tent, not to be wrapped up again.   
  
"Thank you, Adi." He smiled a smile of great joy and relief. "He will find his way and because you chose my soulmate I am here to help him."  
  
  
Obi-Wan walked alone in the little wooded area for a long time, his surroundings quiet and his mind anything but. He knew he should be feeling grief but instead felt a rightness. Could he be the Chosen One? It seemed unlikely but what Qui-Gon had said was true. Their connection went beyond the Force. It was more. Was he meant to return home so his new Master would find him? Nothing happens without a reason.   
  
/Perhaps I was meant to fail Bruck./ He continued to pace. /No I am not the Chosen One, I can't be./ The disbelief in himself blinded the Jedi Padawan to his gifts and abilities. He saw a lost boy when the world saw a great leader and warrior. His self-worth blinded him, but then perhaps, it was meant to.  
  
Time by himself resolved Obi-Wan's opinion. He was not the One it was impossible.  
  
/But how do I convince Qui-Gon of that? He seemed so eager./ The trees of the copse near the camp were smaller than those found in the Border Forest, letting light down to the earth and the smaller plants below. The sun shone on Obi-Wan and he basked in its heat and light. It offered comfort when nothing else would.  
  
That's how Qui-Gon found him later, head lying back, eyes closed, facing up through the leaves where the sun passed through. At the approach of his Master, Obi-Wan opened his eyes and tensed. He turned to Qui-Gon and was relieved not to see the book in his hands, glad that its presence was not here to remind him of his failure and Qui-Gon's disappointment.   
  
"Obi-Wan?" his voice was almost a whisper, reluctant to disrupt the tranquillity of the wood.  
  
"Yes, Master?"  
  
"I just wanted to make sure you were all right, and ask you not to give up. Everything comes in time." Obi-Wan sighed, a sound of heart-filled pain.  
  
"Not this, Qui-Gon, it's not me."  
  
But Qui-Gon wasn't convinced, as he had felt the steirring of power within his apprentice. It was a strange sense of peace that settled on him as the truth of Yoda's words was proven to him. Time was approaching, time to fight the final battle and now they had a weapon. Obi-Wan's doubt in himself lay between him and the vast untapped power that lay beneath the exterior of Jedi calm. Within a fire was burning but its light and heat were held back.  
  
"Obi-Wan, you are the Chosen One. I believe in you so does Master Yoda. Now you need to believe in yourself."  
  
"But I am only one man, I am nobody."  
  
"Adi picked you because she knew we belonged to each other. She chose you because we would make each other stronger. She picked you because she loved you, because she knew you would complete me. She chose you because of love, Obi-Wan and that's what made the spell so powerful."  
  
Obi-Wan Kenobi gazed out over the hill spread before them; he could see the Border Forest and within it he could feel the seething mass of the Dark. Qui-Gon's answers explained much, his powerful senses, his visions of the past, his love for the older man, but if it was true, all those people in the camp and those beyond, relied upon him to deliver them from the Darkness, to bring the Light.  
  
No, he was not the One, he did not believe. 


	6. Chapter 5- Time Approaches

Chapter 5- Time Approaches.   
  
Dawn is a time of hope for the people of this planet for it represents the possibility of light winning over dark and although they know light will again lose to the dark it is still time enough to live. But this dawn is different. Unbeknownst to the Jedi army camp soldiers gather at the edge of the Border Forest. They will enter the Light side's territory and begin taking it back as they did every year but this year was different, this year they had the power to destroy the Jedi forever and that would begin today in the coming battle.  
  
As the sun first appears over the eastern horizon the masked riders gallop towards the Jedi camp, carrying silent death with them.   
  
  
Obi-Wan shot up, out of bed.  
  
"Qui-Gon, wake up."  
  
"Obi-Wan?"  
  
"Something's wrong, something is... something is..." All colour drained from Obi-Wan's face as the sensation he felt was recognised. This is what it had felt like just before the Shadow Warriors had attacked them in the Border Forest but now it was larger and more insistent. "We have to warn the council."  
  
"Of what? Obi-Wan?" The Jedi Master called after his apprentice as he ran out into the morning air, sighing Qui-Gon followed only to stop in his tracks just behind the younger man. From up the valley a shadow spread, riding towards them. Men consumed in Dark and their purpose.   
  
"There is no time."  
  
Through the Force Qui-Gon sent a warning to his fellow Jedi. The camp began to stir but it wasn't enough. In minutes the camp was swamped by a living shadow. The two Jedi warriors drew their Lightsabers and began to fight. Around them Shadow Warriors fort the Jedi army, with no time to dress in armour the Light soldiers went down. The camp was surrounded and infused by the Dark but still they fort on, the alternative unthinkable. Among were the Jedi, untrained and unable to fight however their presence and light gave hope to the dying men.  
  
Time slowed for Obi-Wan Kenobi, he fought within the Force as his Master had taught him. Beside him Qui-Gon battled fiercely but they were loosing. The leader and general in Obi-Wan mourned the lost lives of his men, the resistance was being crushed, the Jedi camp capture, the remaining soldiers chained among them he saw Riva standing tall and defiant but they stood in blood and they stood defeated.   
  
Through the thong of masked and defeated soldiers rode a hooded figure, Bruck riding to his right. They came to a holt before the two Jedi Warriors. This man was the Shadow Warrior who had spared them from Bruck in the Border Forest, he had known this moment would come and that their lives would once again be in is hands. The man pushed back his hood to reveal a scared face, deep lines etched into his skin years ago to form a ghastly and terrifying pattern.   
  
"Qui-Gon, it's a pleasure to see you again."  
  
"Ethes."  
  
Ethes K'arn smiled down at the man whose son he had stolen but it was Obi-Wan who drew his attention and fascination.  
  
"General Kenobi, you have coursed me more trouble than you know but I'm glad to see you have grown into the beautiful, sensual creature I always knew you would be," he leered at his stepson. "I hope to taste you again soon, Ben."  
  
Bruck too had been staring hungrily at the Jedi Padawan but at his father's words a look of jealousy crossed his fine fechers. Ben was his.   
  
"Secure the prisoners, the Jedi and general's guard are famous for their skill, they will be a valuable asset to our army once they have turned. Bring the Jedi to our camp over the border." With that K'arn and his son rode off knowing the orders would be followed.   
  
  
The Jedi council and the two warriors were shackled and marched away. Riva watched General Kenobi marched off with the others of the brotherhood. She stood among his men feeling the same hopelessness the other soldiers felt.  
  
"Lt. Riva, what do we do now?" Riva turned to the ensign who had spoken to her, he looked afraid, he had only been in the army a few months and was unused to combat and capture.  
  
"We do as we did before Ensign, we wait for him." The seasoned troops around her seemed to sigh in relief. Waiting for their commander was something they could do, they would have gladly followed the general to the gates of hell and seemed to be exactly where he was being taken. They would follow but they had to escape first.   
  
The Shadow Warriors rounded the Light Soldiers up into groups, surrounding each group lessoning the chance of conspiracy and escape. Riva watched the camp's division and then turned to the ensign by her side.  
  
"Johnson, find out which group Commanders Rise and Langston are in and see if the councils adjutant Major Hunt is still alive."  
  
"Yes Sir." The young man hurried off through the crowd to speak to others who might have seen where the other officers were. Riva was left with two officers, Lt Anes and Lt. Commander Ja'don, both old friends of hers and Obi-Wan's.  
  
"Ja'don, we need a plan."  
  
"That we do, Riva."  
  
"Any Ideas."  
  
  
Obi-Wan's face was passive as he was cuffed to Qui-Gon, which worried the Jedi Master. Through the bond he could feel very little, his apprentice was shielding against him, which in its own way scared him. He had no idea of what was going through the younger man's mind; he had no way of gauging his mental state. Qui-Gon continued to watch him as they were marched towards the Dark Border; he seemed indifferent and hollow of any kind of emotion.   
  
Obi-Wan was not lacking in emotion but he refused to show his fear, he blacked everyone out and just walked, he was sorry he had lost his connection to his Master by blocking the bond but he needed to concentrate, to think of something before it was too late to act. Inside his won mind he was running through strategy and plans, trying to find one that would work, he watched the Shadow Warriors searching for a weakness to their defences and attacks. On the outside he was beaten on the inside he was planning, just like the soldiers left at the camp.   
  
They didn't go into the Border Forest but skirted around it, the Shadows knowing it to be easier to guard their captives in the open instead of spread out among trees. It would take longer to get to their camp but they weren't going to risk loosing their prisoners, they were too valuable. The Jedi could feel the Darkness beyond; they could feel themselves getting closer as they walked. The valley they now walked in began in the Dark's territory and soon they would leave the place where light was beginning to flourish again and be cast in darkness. With every step their hope seemed to diminish, with very step they were further away from salvation.   
  
  
  
Huddled together, hidden amongst the other soldiers, six officers of the Light army planned. Among them were Lieutenant Riva, general Kenobi's aide and friend, Ensign Johnson, newest of all the people gathered to the rank of an officer, Major Hunt, adjutant to the Jedi council, he was old which was why he had been assign his post but he had seen more combat then any of the others there, Lieutenant Anes and Lt. Commander Ja'don both from the ranks of General Kenobi's guard and Commander Rise of the council's guard. Between them they were the most experienced of the soldiers.  
  
"Ensign, Where is Commander Langston?" Riva looked at the young man, waiting for an answer.  
  
"She is in the group on the far side of the camp, we can't communicate directly with her using hand signals but we do have a network of people in each group to keep everyone informed."  
  
"So, once we have a plan we can tell everyone without letting the Shadows know?"  
  
"Yes sir." Johnson looked pleased, he had done everything he had been asked and also created a primitive form of communication. Riva turned to the others.  
  
" Good. Anes, report."  
  
"Ethes has left which means one of his captains are in charge, most of there soldiers are only dark agents which aren't hard to deal with, it's the shadows we need to worry about. They are real, thinking people plus many of them have some use of the Force. They have an advantage so we need to turn that around. Of course we have the advantage of numbers but that means nothing without weapons." Major Hunt nodded his agreement. His had ideally twisted in his greying beard; he spoke his thoughts quietly trying to think of a solution as he put forth the problem.   
  
"We need to get to our weapons and distribute them amongst the men, what did the Shadows do with them when they confiscated them?" They all looked at Anes but it was Ja'don who answered.   
  
"There are a few piles scattered about the camp but most are on the far side. Commander Langston is closest, if we could get her group to liberate the weaponry, while the guards are distracted, trying to put the resistance down we could get free and find the one who's left in charge, the Agents' Leader. If we manage that we may have a chance. The Leader has a bond with the Agents under his command. Without the one assigned to lead the agents wont know what to do, they wont obey another's orders because there is no Dark Lord to create another Leader to which they are bonded. Without them it should be easy to over whelmed the Shadows"  
  
Riva thought it out in her head, it was risky but what else could they do?  
  
"Major, do you think it will work?"  
  
"We'll just have to wait and see, wont we Lieutenant."   
  
"Ensign Johnson, get word to Langston, we need this to be well coordinated, tell her to get ready."  
  
  
Across the captured army camp Lt. Commander Langston sat with her own officers, from the crowd of infantry soldiers ran a lance corporal bringing word from across the camp. They would attack soon, she could see the pile of weapons from where she sat, in a matter of moments her section would serge forward towards the discarded swords and knives creating a distraction while another section slipped away to even the odds. Between them they would liberate the council's personnel guard. They would supply the metal and their allies would even the odds.  
  
She stood. It was time to begin.   
  
  
Master Mace Windu walked with a solemn expression set on his dark features. He was tired, physically and mentally. Like all the other Jedi he could feel the Dark Border that lay just ahead of them. He could feel it reaching out with its tentacles of evil trying to embrace them, trying to turn them. It was seductive, it offered an end to what they were suffering now and an ease to the pain they had already enjoured.  
  
It would give anything for it to end but it asked to much, he would not sacrifice the Light for the twisted peace it offered, instead he faced forward, meeting the threat head on with dignity not cringing in fear or on his knees in submission.   
  
All the Jedi felt it as they passed over the border into the enemy's lands. A small shudder went through each of them but none of them spoke, they continued to march with dignity, when they were pushed they held their heads high. They were the Jedi Brothers, the leaders of the people of the small defeated planet. They may have lost but their honour could not be stolen from them. They were born Jedi and they would die as Jedi.  
  
Amongst them was an army General and Jedi apprentice, he felt the difference between the two lands, he felt the others determination, he perceived the Dark Lords waiting ahead, he sensed the Light that was behind them but he could also feel the Light that remained in the Dark's lands. It gave him hope. It gave him determination. He did not carry his head high because he would meet his end with dignity; he held his head high because they could win. They were Jedi. And somewhere hidden deep within his mind, Obi-Wan Kenobi began to believe.  
  
  
It was barely a whisper that swept through the camp but it was the signal to begin. Lt. Commander Langston lead her men agents the Shadows and Agents in an attempt to reach their weapons that had been taken from them. They charged through the barrier of men that surrounded their groups, their numbers pushing the enemy back. Many died but they would reach their swords and they were causing a distraction.  
  
Across the camp Shadow Warriors hurried away from their posts to help their comrades, five soldiers escaped unseen by their captures; they headed for the main tent where the leader of the Dark Agents slept.  
  
Riva heard they commotion from the other side of the camp and saw some of the soldiers left to guard them run to help but the rebellion down. She signalled the others to follow her. Ensign Johnson was the first to reach her side beyond the camp's boundaries. Next came Ja'don and Anes, together as always. They waited hidden in the brush waiting for Commander Rise to appear, they held their breaths expecting detection and capture at any moment.  
  
From out of the darkness stepped the other officer carrying a knife and a sword on his hip.  
  
"Where did you get those?" In any other situation Riva's tone of voice would have made the others laugh but the severity of their situation stifled their laughter.   
  
"I found it," A glint of mischief apprised in his eyes. "In the hand's of an Agent."  
  
"Rise." Riva smiled at her friend but couldn't help her disapproving tone.  
  
"I couldn't help it, he started it."  
  
"And you wonder why they busted you down from Captain to commander?" He grinned at Riva, a smile that caused a shiver to run through the lieutenant's spine.  
  
"Oh that, not my fault either. Any way the life style didn't suite me. You know how it is?" Riva didn't answer but in stead turned her attention to their mission however beside her Anes and Ja'don gave each other a knowing look. As they began to move out Anes whispered to her lover.  
  
"I bet they're together before autumn's end."  
  
"I bet they're together before we rescue the General."  
  
"Your on."  
  
They shook on their bet and followed the others around the camps edge to where the man in charge slept. Behind them they could still hear the commotion Commander Langston was kicking up, they just hoped she could keep it up.  
  
There were only two guards outside the Leader's tent who were dealt with quickly and cleanly. The Light soldiers took their weapons and shared them between them. The others stood guard as Riva and Rise entered the tent. It was dark inside but they could make out the outline of a man asleep on the crude sleeping mattress.   
  
Riva had done many things in her life for the light, she had killed and maimed but it had always been defence. As she approached the prone figure she could not help feeling like she was about to murder a man. He was the enemy and he had undoubtedly done terrible things in his life but did he deserve death without being able to defend himself? And if they did this act would they loose part of their own light? She was suddenly unsure of their plan, she held back terror for her own soul freezing her in place.  
  
Beside her Rise had no such worries, he stealthily crept forward towards his prey, he walked with the skill of experience. Riva watched as he lunged forward sinking his dagger deep into the other man. A low cry of pain was heard and then nothing, blood soaked the sheets and dripped onto the ground. Rise stood looking down at his victim. He had done what he believed necessary. He had killed the enemy. Outside the battle turned as the Dark Agents became disorientated. Their link to their Leader severed by his death. The light soldiers swarmed together defeating the Dark. Within the small tent two figure stood, the gap between them was like an abyss, endless and dark. Riva could only see the blood and Rise could only see the victory.  
  
  
Night fell around them and still they marched. Weariness dogged the Jedi's steps but they did not stumble or complain. Slowly the night passed into early morning and finally the sun began to rise. But the light of the sun here seemed cooler and dull, it held no life like it did where the Light side of the Force dwelled. It offered no comfort only the reminder of their destination and the possibility of their fate.   
  
The sun ascended into the sky, as it did they Jedi and their escort reached the top of a large hill. As they reached its summit the sun's light exploded over the hills and into the valley beneath them. Each Jedi stood motionless with the sight before them.   
  
Ahead of them, nestled in the deep valley was the dark Ethes' camp. It oozed darkness and hate. Pain seemed to emanate from it like a living entity. Despair crushed the Jedi; hope seemed to be lost forever as they were moved forward toward the dark place. As they grew closer they could see the Shadow Warriors amongst the tents, they could feel their presents within the Force, they could feel their darkness.  
  
Obi-Wan walked at the back of the group of prisoners. He saw the camp, he saw the Shadows and he felt the dark but the Force was speaking to him. It whispered of destiny, of what was meant to be. Some thing would happen soon, in that place of Dark. Something important would take place. The Jedi Warriors were where they needed to be; in the middle of where the fighting must be done.   
  
  
Riva stood alone in the bustle of movement as the Army guard prepared to pull up camp and follow the Jedi over the Dark border. It had been discussed among the higher ranking officers that they should go thought the Border Forest. It would be quicker than going around, with their numbers they would be able to fight off Bandit attacks and defend themselves agents patrols.   
  
Dismantling an army camp took time and Riva spent that time deep in thought. She could only see the redness of the Leaders blood, seeing its stickiness as it dripped to the ground. The sound of his dying cry echoed in her ears, accusing and insistent. She avoided Rise as much as possible, unable to look at him expecting to see the dark around him. He smiled at her the way he always had, like the other officers expecting something to happen between them but Riva's heart felt like ice. She looked at him and saw the blood. She gazed into his eyes only to wonder where he had learnt such things. His touched caused her to tense in fear.   
  
She wanted to talk to her friend, she wanted to speak to Obi-Wan but he was miles away, deep within enemy territory. She hauled her pack to her shoulders, her determination set into her features. They would find the General and the Jedi council; they would bring them home and then she would cry her heart out on his shoulder. It wasn't much of a plan she thought, but it was all she could do. She feared for Rise, she knew him to be a good man but maybe he had been exposed to the dark too much. She feared he might turn. Obi-Wan was the only one who could help and until he was with her again she would keep an eye on Rise, but from a subtle distance.   
  
/I hope it's not too late for him. He was beginning to mean something to me./  
  
The Jedi council's and General Kenobi's Guard units moved out in pursuit of their leaders. They marched in lines, their discipline coming to the fore. They entered the Border Forest and at dawn they crossed over the border.   
  
  
The Jedi council and its two Warriors stood amidst the Dark Lord's camp. They were surrounded and had nowhere to run. They stood in the bitter morning cold; autumn already coming to a close and the onset of winter was promised in the chilling wind. They stood for an hour before Ethes K'arn came to them. His smile told of victory, a smugness of owning your enemy clung to him, as did the Dark Force. His welcoming smile was almost a sneer, his eyes danced with hate and the precipice of madness from power.  
  
"Welcome my friends. You are welcome here until you are required by our lord." He bowed in mock respect, his demeanour shouting defiance to the Light. "Show our guests their accommodation." Shadow Warriors brought their swords to bear as they shoved their captives to a small tent at the camps centre. Surrounded by soldiers, surrounded by the Dark.   
  
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon moved to follow only to be held back.  
  
"Oh no, you two will have special quarters. See you soon Ben." The Jedi Warriors both stared at the gloating man, both fearing for the other and what was to happen to them. They were lead off in the opposite direction to the council and taken to a smaller tent attached to a larger one.   
  
Qui-Gon barely remembered his training as he and his apprentice were forced into their prison and shackled to the centre wooden post. He was angry and a little afraid for them and the other Brothers. Obi-Wan's cool composure calmed him, the young General seemed unconcerned by their situation, in fact the Jedi Master could almost see a smile on his lips and a subtle sense of humour behind his apprentice's green eyes.   
  
Qui-Gon stood silently as the guards left to stand outside, as soon as they were out of ear shot he turned to Obi-Wan hoping to find some answers.  
  
"Obi-Wan, are you alright?"   
  
"Fine, Master." Qui-Gon searched Obi-Wan's face for any change, any clue as to what he was thinking but Obi-Wan remained unreadable both physically and through the bond.   
  
"Obi-Wan?" He waited for his companion to turn to face him but Obi-Wan remained as he was. "Obi-Wan, look at me." His tone bespoke of an order given from a Master to a Padawan. The younger man did turn them, looking at his friend and soulmate. He had shut out everyone including Qui-Gon. Why? He had no answers to that but he was doing as the Force nudged him to do.  
  
"I'm fine, Qui-Gon. I can't explain it to you but something will happen soon and we must be ready. I love you very much but I fear I must be alone in my mind, please understand I am only doing as I believe the Force wants me to do."  
  
Qui-Gon looked and Obi-Wan and saw the age and knowledge in his eyes. He was what his life had made him and more. His Jedi training and control lay above all else but below that Qui-Gon could see the General, his bondmate and deeper still the place where his lover was joined to the prophecy of the chosen one. He was becoming the man he was meant to be and Qui-Gon would not stand in his way, for when Obi-Wan was once again whole in his own way it would be time for them to be together; to complete each other through their soul bond.  
  
"I understand, Beloved but remember I am here. We will fight together."  
  
"Of course Qui-Gon, I wouldn't want it any other way."  
  
They sat together on the mud floor, facing each other with their chains between them. They mediated each finding their own centre, Qui-Gon amongst the living Force and Obi-Wan within the Unifying Force. Between both their strengths they were all the Jedi Brotherhood could be. Obi-Wan may have been the one but without Qui-Gon he was nothing; the Jedi Master was the faith and courage and the General the raw power of the light in a physical form. Around them the Dark flowed but it could not touch them.   
  
"Well gentlemen, I hope the accommodation is to your liking." The voice of their capture startled both Jedi from their meditation. They stood not wanting to be lower than Ethes, not giving him the perspective of power. K'arn walked around the two chained men, admiring their physique. Both men were stunning in their own way. Qui-Gon was a bear, large and powerful but gentle with its own and Obi-Wan was a fox, quick and agile. They were the perfect fighting pair; the other making up for his partner's weakness.  
  
He reached out to touch Qui-Gon's muscular chest, to feel the power beneath his robes only to be stopped by a low growl. He looked at the young Jedi, the submissive boy he had used years before was nowhere to be seen in the young man. He was strong in his determination to keep his mate safe, Ethes was sure the Jedi Master's resolve was the same when it came to his apprentice.  
  
"Well Ben, you have done well for yourself, a Jedi Master no less. Tell me have you been putting all my lessons to good use." Before the general could answer Qui-Gon spoke, trying to defect the dark warriors attention and Obi-Wan's anger.  
  
"What do you want, Ethes?"  
  
"I came to make a deal with you. Jedi Warrior Jinn and General Kenobi, between you you should know of all the Light army's defence measures and strategies. If you tell me them I will let you and your Brothers live, if you don't I will execute you all one at a time." He smiled, one that bespoke of victory. "To be perfectly honest I don't much care if you take my deal or not. If you do I have a way to defeat the army if you don't I will be rid of the Jedi Brotherhood. It's a win win situation for me. I'll leave you to think about it and to deside, which is the lesser of two evils. Good day to you both." He tilted his head in polite farewell and once again left them alone.  
  
"We can't tell him the army's plans, Qui-Gon."  
  
"I know, Padawan."  
  
"But if we don't..." he trailed off unwilling to finished the thought.  
  
"I know that too, beloved but we must be strong and trust in the Force."  
  
"There is no death." Obi-Wan's whispered voice was a reminder of the Jedi belief but held little comfort.   
  
  
(break for posting here)  
  
  
  
  
The sun was high in the sky when the two Jedi Warriors were brought out of their tent into the open air. They were escorted to the centre of the camp and made to stand in the centre of the meeting point. Around them Shadow Warriors and Dark Agents went about their daily tasks, taking no mind of the two Jedi in their midst's. Ethes K'arn stepped in front of the two shackled men, ready to begin the event he had planned.  
  
"Well, Jedi, have you made your choice?"   
  
"We will not help you, K'arn."  
  
"As much as I would have liked the information I will not deny that your decision delights me." He turned his back to them and nodded to one of his men. "It took me a while to decide who would be first but I think my final choice will have a great effect." Through the army of Shadows a figure was pulled, he was stooped and could barley walk. Due to his age he had not held up well to the enforced march and now it looked as if he would die. A lump came to Qui-Gon's throat as he saw who was first.  
  
Master Yoda was forced to his knees in front of the two other Jedi, facing them, his face showing no fear. Obi-Wan watched as K'arn drew his sword and held it aloft for all to see. The light of the noon sun shone down on it making it shine with its deadly purpose. The blade came sweeping down in a graceful arch and sliced through the ancient Jedi Master's neck. Blood splattered the ground and the robes of all those who stood close enough. Qui-Gon was frozen in place as he watched his Master's life end in an act of violence. His Master had always been kind and gentle and Qui-Gon had always believed Yoda would pass peacefully.   
  
Beside his Obi-Wan stood numb but his gaze was not locked on the headless corpse of the old Jedi Master as Qui-Gon's was but instead he stared at Ethes. Something within the Force was urging him to see something, to notice something but all he could see in the cold light was the smile and blood the other man wore.  
  
"Take them back to their tent and let them ponder what they have seen, you never know they may change their mind." Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon went willingly back to their prison neither able to speak yet. Neither knowing what to say.  
  
  
Bruck was among the crowd of men that surrounded the Jedi Warriors, he heard what his father said and he feared what Ben would decide. Seeing his stepbrother again after all those months was difficult for the young man. Ben looked amazing; he was clearly General Obi-Wan Kenobi completely in control of his own fate even in the clutches of his enemy.   
  
Bruck had genuinely loved Ben when they were young but some where along the way that love had been twisted around, seeing him now, as he was truly meant to be, Bruck couldn't help but miss the affection his stepbrother had shown him years ago. He realised then that by helping his father he had betrayed the only one who had ever shown any compassion for him. He had turned just as his father had, just as Ben had warned he would. Bruck shuddered; Ben had even come home to help him after he believed Ethes had died.  
  
His thoughts were retched back to the scene in front of him as one of the other Jedi Masters was brought forward. Through his sense of the Force he could feel Qui-Gon Jinn's distress and the other Master's cool determination and from Ben, through a bond he had almost forgotten, he felt a sting of grief not for the Jedi who now lay dead but for him. He looked up to meet knowing green eyes as Ben was lead away, but he was not Ben any longer. He was Obi-Wan. He had failed the child Obi-Wan had been but he would not fail the man Ben had grown up to be. If there was a path back to the light he prayed his stepbrother would help him find it.   
  
  
  
"What are you thinking, Obi-Wan?"  
  
"I don't know, there was something about K'arn that the Force wanted me to notice but I can't think what. I keep going over it in my mind, but I get distracted." In was silent for a moment trying to gather his thoughts. "Will there me more, Master?"  
  
"I hope not, Obi-Wan but I believe Ethes will carry out his treat."  
  
"Then we need to think of a way to escape."  
  
"I agree but how?" At that question fall into his General persona, thinking through all he had seen of the camp and all its weaknesses.   
  
"We're surrounded by Shadow Warriors and Dark Agents all of whom have weapons. The Jedi Council members are in another tent. We need to be subtle, anything obvious and flashy is going to get us killed."  
  
"We need as ally."  
  
"I agree, Qui-Gon. I just hope he makes the right decision." Qui-Gon didn't ask who, he had though his apprentice had given up when they had been captured, he had believed Obi-Wan had accepted his fate but now he realised General Kenobi had been watching and planning. They may not survive but knowing his Padawan was by his side in his defiance of the Dark it didn't matter.  
  
The day passed around them and dusk began to fall, they waited to see if they had an ally and a chance. They waited to see if he would come.  
  
  
There was a whisper of sound followed but two thumps as something heavy hit the earth. The two Jedi looked at the entrance to their prison, through it walked Bruck, knife in hand, senses alert. Without a word he came towards them holding the key to their chains. Qui-Gon took the key first unlocking his apprentice and then himself. He wanted to ask the younger man why but knew that time was against them and that all questions would have to wait till later. The moved out of the temporary prison as one, working together as if commanded by one mind. The Force guided them all, out the tent where the two guards lay dead through the sleeping camp to the tent where the other Jedi were being held.  
  
There was no guard, which worried Qui-Gon, but wordlessly they entered. Inside they found the Jedi council chained together, Ethes K'arn standing before them with three of his Shadow Warriors.   
  
"Betrayed by my own son, I can't say I'm surprised you never did know which side your loyalties lied." He sighed in mock exasperation; he drew his sword and pointed it at his own son. "I should kill you now for your weakness but I think it can wait till morning when I execute your stepbrother's lover. What do you think of that, Ben? Will you tell me what I want to know for your bondmate?" he turned his sword on Obi-Wan, the tip of its blade brushing the Jedi apprentice's chin. It was then that Obi-Wan noticed what the Force had urged him to see and confirmed what Qui-Gon had feared.   
  
"You carry a Lightsaber. You must be Dath Maul."  
  
"Ah, I see you finally realise who I am, you may have become General Kenobi and found a Master to teach you the Jedi way but I have my own following." Qui-Gon looked at the man who had pretended to be his friend in order to steal his son.  
  
"You are a Sith lord? To think I didn't realise it. Where is my son, Maul?"   
  
"Your son is dead Qui-Gon at least he may as well be to you. He is with my Master now, he is one of us and he cannot be turned back. We have as good as won, the light fades more every day and you are the last of a dying race. The Brotherhood is finished and the Sith will rule." The Dark lord turned his attention to the other Shadow Warriors, "Take these two back to their tent, and him," He pointed to his son. "Take him to the execution block and tie him there. Let him sleep where he will die."  
  
"Father, please." The man who had been Ethes K'arn took Bruck's face in his hands.  
  
"I am no longer your father, and you will die come morning or you will freeze waiting for the sun to rise. Take them away." The tree men where dragged to their place of imprisonment. The last thing obi-Wan saw before he was roughly forced back into his prison was his stepbrother kneeling at the camps centre, where Yoda's blood still soaked the ground, his hands tied and a sword at his back.   
  
Bruck Chan looked up to see Obi-Wan's eyes gazing at him, in them he saw the forgiveness he had hoped to gain and the grief the younger man felt. He did not want to course his stepbrother any more pain but he had to do what he must and if that meant dying come dawn,  
  
/Then let the skys open and the light of the sun rain down. I am ready./  
  
  
It was night but they continued to ride through the Border Forest. Riva was at the centre of the mass of soldiers. Her thoughts distracted by Rise and the two swords she carried on her horse. Among the piles of discarded weapons they had found two Jedi Lightsabers; Qui-Gon's and Obi-Wan's. She carried them know in the hope that she would be able to return them to their rightful owners, one way or another. Weather it would be to put them in their hands to do battle or to lie them at their side in their graves. They were the Jedi Warrior's weapons and they should be with the last of their kind, in life and finally in the endlessness of death.   
  
  
Bruck knelt unrepentant of his decision to help Obi-Wan and the other Jedi. He knelt with the clarity of mind that comes before death. Night passed by but the fear he had always expected with the knowledge of his own end never came. To his mind it was strange to find such understanding just before you were to die; to spend your life in confusion and misunderstanding only to know when you reach your end. He knew his decision had been right, he was sorry for the years he had strayed from the Light, he was sorry for turning his step brother away all those years ago when the help he needed had been offered. But most of all he was sorry that he had little time to serve the light, to atone for what he had done. He hoped that his life would be enough to save him, he hoped that he would still be able to love Obi-Wan from the other side.  
  
They sky began to brighten, the sun began to rise and the camp began to stir, but Bruck was riveted by the sight of the morning sun, its beauty so stunning it left him breathless. The colours it painted in the sky so spectacular he believed it to be heaven. So be it, he would die this dawn but the Force would welcome him into its embrace with the beauty of first light in his eyes.  
  
Ethes K'arn had had a peaceful night's sleep. He cared little for his son and the thought of his impending death did little to disturb his dreams. The Sith Lord rose with the dawn to get the Jedi gathered around the execution clearing. He was tired of waiting. Today the Jedi would follow Bruck into death, the last of their kind would be enslaved to him after he watched his bondmate, Qui-Gon Jinn, die. He had wanted Obi-wan Kenobi for a long time and now he would have him.   
  
It was a sombre party that stood before the place of execution. The Jedi, including Qui-Gon stood to Bruck's right with Ethes K'arn standing before them, the Jedi General at his side.   
  
"Its to late to help my son, Obi-Wan but if you tell me what I want to know I'll spear your lover." Obi-Wan looked at the man who had married his mother in order to gain a child with full Forces sensitivity; he looked the betrayer in the eye and said,  
  
"I don't believe you, Maul." A look of anger crossed the older man's face, his darkness danced in his eyes, the air alive with its power. "Do what you feel you must, I will not be a betray the Brotherhood."   
  
"Begin." But before the Dark Agent could lift his sword to strike Bruck a mighty cry rose from beyond the army camp. From across the open land, spilling out of the Border Forest came hundreds of men, each upheld by the power of the light.   
  
Just as The Shadow Army had attacked the Jedi camp the Light army swarmed their enemy's camp. Their victory the night before gave them hope that was unstoppable. The surrounded the Shadow warriors and attacked. All around the Jedi swords crashed together for the victory of life. Through the crowd of men came a woman on horse back carrying two Lightsabers. And then the battle really began.  
  
Jedi Warrior Qui-Gon Jinn took his Lightsaber from Riva and joined the other Light soldiers who had surrounded the Jedi council in order to protect them. Through the crush of bodies Qui-Gon saw his apprentice take up his own Lightsaber and began to duel the Sith Lord, Darth Maul. Then the mists began to rise from no where, hiding the Light soldiers from the Dark, letting them keep the advantage surprise had given them.   
  
  
Obi-Wan watched silently as the Jedi Brothers were gathered and his Master was put with them, he tried to show indifference when Darth Maul, the man who had once been Ethes K'arn, stood beside him offering him the life of his love for his betrayal. Obi-Wan didn't fear death, his or his Masters but he did fear the pain Maul might course his lover. He looked into eyes that held no Light only the all consuming power of the dark and knew that this man would never uphold anything he promised.   
  
"I don't believe you, Maul, do what you feel you must, I will not be a betray the Brotherhood." He was firm in his belief and decision, which angered the man before him, with anger in his voice he ordered it to begin but the Sith Warrior did not realise what he was starting. Out of the forest came the Jedi guard and the General's own men, among them rode Riva carrying his Sabre. He took up his weapon and began to fight.  
  
When he began his whole mind was not on the duel he was fighting but the battle that raged around him. The Light soldiers had the advantage of surprise but that would only carry them so far. He reached into the place where the magic of the Force lay and called upon the spell he had tried in the clearing. Around him mist began to appear and then began to get thicker, it would not last long but it would be enough to hold off the Shadows and Agents until his soldiers surrounded them all leaving them with the only choice of surrender. Content with the spell he submerged himself into another part of his power, the place Qui-Gon showed him, the place where he knew battle.   
  
Maul was furious with the turn of events, he had been winning and his attack on Obi-Wan reflected his fury. His movements were quick and powerful, baring down on the smaller man relentlessly. Obi-Wan held back knowing Maul would be unable to fight like this long, he would tire and then he would strike. But Maul was not unknowing of battle, within the Dark you used you anger and hate to fuel you actions but not to the point of self-destruction. Knowing he would lose if he continued in his frenzied attack he rained in his anger and channelled it. Men fought and died in that camp and at its centre the most amazing of duels was being fought as two of the best swordsmen on that planet locked blades.   
  
To begin with no one was able to see the deadly dance but as the mist began to clear more and more of the soldiers saw and stilled in their own fight. The victor or this battle would not be determined by any of them but by the duel that took place at its centre. All watched in awe as they two men spun around each other, even the not Force sensitives could feel the prickle of power in the air.  
  
The Jedi Brothers seemed surprised by the display but Qui-Gon understood. This was the true test for the Light. If Obi-Wan won today then it could turn the direction of the war, the Light could win and they may one day be free. Qui-Gon watched his apprentice fight the dark lord and thought he had never looked more beautiful. The Force flowed through him, he had an aura of Light that was always there but now seemed to out shine the sun. He was not Obi-Wan Kenobi now he was the chosen one; the Force was fighting the dark through him, using his body as a vessel to do its will.   
  
Maul was amazed at his stepson's abilities and he feared. He would loose he realised, in his moment of doubt the Light of Obi-Wan reached out and absorbed into him. He had been without Light so long that its sudden return gave him nothing but pain. He gasped out in agony as both the Light and Obi-Wan's Lightsaber pierced him.   
  
There was silence so quiet it was defining. No one dared breath encase they disrupted the tense peace that blanketed them all. They waited for the moment to pass when the silence no longer forced the air from their lungs and held their tongs still. Seconds ticked by and then the tension bled away back into the men who up until a moment ago had fought so vigorously and without mercy.  
  
Maul looked into the eyes of his nemesis for the last time and died. Around the fallen man the Shadow Warriors fled or surrendered, the Dark Agents dying from their broken bond. The victory was theirs. But it was more than that, the place they all stood in had been over shadowed by the Dark but now the Light rushed back into it, this was not just a victory of a battle but a banishing of the Dark. The Dark fell back, away from the shinning Light that had infiltrated its territory.   
  
Obi-Wan Kenobi was the chosen one and he had begun the banishing of the dark.   
  
  
  
Riva oversaw the containment of what was left of the Shadow Warriors, General Kenobi was off somewhere organising the move south, Master Jinn had walked alone for a time and then said something about meditation, Bruck was with Rise's group, burying the dead and removing weaponry and then disappeared and the Jedi council were gathered around one of the many fires discussing something earnestly.   
  
Riva was still reeling from the discovery of Master Yoda's body, she could not imagine what it mush be for the Brothers who had watched. She badly wanted to speak to Obi-Wan but they both had their duties to perform so neither sort out the others comforting words. The battle had been tiring but the image of Obi-Wan's blade glowing silver just before he had plunged it into Maul gave here a sense of peace she couldn't explain. Every thing was changing, the world spiralling out of control but for the first time it felt as if it should be.  
  
She continued with her task, burying herself in it until the Force's lofty purpose for them all no longer mattered.  
  
On the outside Obi-Wan was every bit the Jedi General he was meant to be but inside he was grieving. Master Yoda was dead. He had loved the old Jedi as a father, his own dying when he had been very young. Yoda had taken him under his wing years ago and never treated him as if he was useless as other had always done. Qui-Gon was distant now too, he was grieving for his Master also but Obi-Wan didn't know how to reach out and ask for his comfort. He loved Qui-Gon and constantly feared being rejected. He wanted to be strong for his Master so he remained alone within himself as hundreds of men and women moved around him.   
  
  
The valley was beautiful, it once again sang with life and Light. Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn meditated deep within the living Force. The solidarity of the life around hum gave him peace as he came to terms with the loss of his Master. Yoda had raised him since he was very young, he had guided him through his training and had shown him the beauty of the Living Force.   
  
Qui-Gon smiled, that would be how he remembered the little Master. Not the by the violence of his death but by the gift of the Force he had given. He opened his eyes to see the world, the rolling green hills, the edge of the Border Forest that no longer seemed so dark, the shrubs and plants that gave shade and food to the smaller animals. With his Force sense he could feel the animals that lived in the Forest and on the slope of the hill. The sun shone freely into the valley, the air was clear and refreshing. Winter was coming and soon they would move on to rendezvous with the rest of the army, but Qui-Gon knew that winter held its own beauty.  
  
He looked upon the beauty of the world and remembered his Master, he felt the Force and could feel his Master through it.   
  
/Good bye, My Master./ Qui-Gon rose from his kneeling position and went in search of his apprentice. Behind him a small hunched figure stood watching him leave. A smile played on his shimmering blue lips. Then as if he had not been there at all he disappeared back into the Force having made his goodbye to his Padawan.  
  
  
/Qui-Gon is right we are too set in our ways./ Master Mace Windu stood with the other Jedi Brothers. The others were discussing the prophecy while he watched. He wished Yoda was still with them, now that he was gone Windu was head of the council and he was already feeling the strain. To his mind Obi-Wan Kenobi was the Chosen One they had been waiting for but others still believed it was Anakin, the last full Jedi ever born. They had see and felt the Dark retreat after Obi-Wan had fought the Sith lord. But it was easier to believe the chosen one was yet to come forward then hope he was already among them.  
  
"Enough. We will discus this later when we are all calmer and had time to rest. Do not forget your training. We are Jedi and we have lost one of our own, this bickering would appall Master Yoda." Mace sighed, understanding his Brother's reaction to their current situation. "We should all meditate. We will talk about this when we reach the winter camp when all the Jedi Brothers are together again."   
  
The group broke up each going for their horses and aides. As Mace walked to his own his responsibility weighed heavily on him.  
  
/There are less and less of us each year and now the most wise of us had moved into the Force./  
  
"My life sacrificed for nothing it was not, the chosen One Kenobi is. Forget your duty you should not, but forget that he is only a man you should not either." There was no one there but Mace was sure he had heard a whispered voice. "Confidence in you I have." The presence within the Force was gone but Mace was not the same inside.   
  
/You always know what to say, glad to see death hasn't changed you./ The was a smile on the Jedi Brother's lips as he mounted his horse.   
  
  
The Jedi and their Guard of soldiers all sat upon their horses. In front of them rode one of the army's Generals and his soldiers. Obi-Wan rode at the head of the convoy of men with Qui-Gon to his right and his stepbrother to his left, the world was changing and they where then men to change in further. It was a strange feeling for the young Jedi. He had become a leader of the Light army very young; he had proven himself and was respected. But now he must also be the chosen one.   
  
His Lightsaber was heavy at his hip, its weight a reminder of his heritage, the Jedi Sister book of Adi Gallia's was in his saddle bag and its presence was a reminder to the prophecy he must fulfil and the Lightsaber of his enemy which he also carried reminded him of what he must face. He kept to himself, keeping the walls within his mind firmly in place.   
  
At dusk they stopped for the night setting up a temporary camp. No tents but plenty of fires and blankets. Obi-Wan walked away from all the others deep in thought; he found a place of isolation and sank to his knees.  
  
There hadn't been time to really grieve before but now that they had won there was nothing but time. The others saw the victory, they had the long awaited chosen one, they had Bruck who was proof enough that the loved one they had lost to the dark side could be turned back but all Obi-Wan could see was Yoda's death and those still held by the dark including Anakin.   
  
"Hope there always is, young Obi-Wan."  
  
"Master?"  
  
"Told you many times I have, no death there is, only the Force." A shimmering blue figure sat before the young Jedi, "Wondered have you why we call them Shadow Warriors? A reason for this there is. Agents are called Dark because nothing else is in them, created by the Sith lord to fight the Dark's battle but Shadow Warriors, people they once were. Still there they are. Not completely dark nor completely light but somewhere in between. People, they are not Sith or Jedi, they lie between us, light and dark joined making a Shadow. With the Sith's influenced the Dark out ways the Light but soon change that will. The Light grows more powerful, Light will become one with them again. Hope there is Obi-Wan Kenobi; learn this you should, a powerful tool it is. Rest you should, only just began your fight has."  
  
Obi-Wan felt his eyes closing from the phantoms subtle suggestion. Later Qui-Gon carried him back to their bed, still deeply asleep, a luxury he had not indulged in since being captured by the Sith. Qui-Gon had felt it the moment Obi-Wan had dropped his shields and let him back into his mind. He had found his own peace with his Master's passing and now he knew so had Obi-Wan. The hope was there but sometimes it was hard to see, together they would bringing it out into the light for all to share.   
  
The End. 


	7. Epilogue - And So It Begins

Epilogue - And So It Begins   
  
I have tried to deny it but now I find I cannot. It pulses within me as surly as it did within my mother and our queen. To me it makes little difference except maybe the added weight of responsibility but that weight it nothing when I see all the grateful smiles, signifying the relief that the wait is over, soon the darkness will be gone, well that's what we hope but at least there is hope now, before there was nothing.  
  
"For me and Qui-Gon it is a sign we are meant to be together. It was our shared soul and power that drew us together but Adi Gallia chose me because she knew I was meant for Qui-Gon. She knew in him I would find a protector and the strength to fight the battle she has left to me. I do not find the task ahead daunting. How could I? The light blossoms from me, reaching out to everyone near and far, this gives me the confidence we will win the day and I have no fear of being alone or even death because I know Qui-Gon will be with me.  
  
"This is true immortality, to have a love that saws so high that nothing can contain it and nothing can break it. We will spend forever together and I would have it no other way, but before I can turn my thoughts to a peaceful rest nestled in eternities light I have duties to perform and it is with a heart of a warrior and Jedi that I step up into a prophecy of hope."  
  
The End  
  
AN: When I first posted this to MA I was told it ended too soon. The reason why is that there will be a book two that continues on stright after this one ends. Book one is about finding the chosen one (Which they have.) and book two is about the fight against the dark (Which has just began.) Sorry if it was too sudden for you but in my mind this is where one ends and the other begins. If you enjoyed this pleae let me know nad keep your eyes open for the next part in the mean time i hope you enjoy the two WIP i'm writing at the moment, Jedi Warrior and Jedi League.  
Tally 


End file.
